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THE LIBRARY
OF
THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA
LOS ANGELES
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES
OF ENGLAND
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES
OE ENGLAND
By ALFRED RIMxMER
IV/T// SEVEN TY-TWO ILLUSTRATJONS ON WOOD
LONDOxM
VIRTUE, SPALDING, AND CO.
IVY LANE, PATERNOSTER ROW
1875
LONDON
PRINTED BY VIRTUE AND CO.
CITY ROAD
PREFATORY NOTE.
I HE following brief chapters on the "Crosses
of England " appeared originally in another
form. By request, they have been collected
in the present volume, advantage being taken of the
re-issue to make such emendations and corrections as
a second revision would be likely to suggest.
The plan of the work being limited, the subject is
treated in a popular manner — rigid scientific arrange-
ment would have been out of place on so small a
scale. For the sake of variety and interest, antiquarian
notes, historical memoranda, and scraps of biography
are freely blended with the text.
Much pains have been taken and expense incurred
in the production of the Engravings, which, it is
believed, will be found of a high character, both archi-
tecturally and pictorially.
G29699
CONTENTS.
I.
PACK
Old English Architecture. — Adaptability of the cross for memorial
purposes ; its variety of desijjn. — Overton Cemetery. — Winchester
"Butter" Cross. — Salisbury Market-Cross. — Chester High-Cross;
history of its remains ; annual riot at the cross. — Original motive
of market-crosses. — Glendower's Cross. — St. Columb Cross. —
Stalbridge Cross. — Various uses of the cross : at cross-roads,
preaching-crosses, weeping-crosses, and boundary-crosses . . i — 14
II.
Universal use of the cross in the early ages of our era. — Our inferiority
to the medieval architects. — Cross at Iron- Acton ; its mutilation. —
Preaching-Cross of the Black Friars Monastery, Hereford ; the
cloisters. — The Crosses of Lydney and Aylburton. — Restoration of
Hempsted Cross. — Our Lady's Well. — The founding of the Men-
dicant Orders of Grey Friars and Black Friars. — The Cistercians
establish themselves in England ; their architectural sl<i]l ; their
wealth and degeneration ........ 15 — 27
III.
Destruction of roadside crosses. — Attempt to introduce the Inquisition
into England. — Origin of the Spanish Inquisition ; its persecutions.
— Charing Cross ; satire upon its removal in the " Percy Ballads."
— Bisley Cross ; its antiquity ; is supposed to have been erected
over a well. — White Friars' Cross, Hereford. — Clearwell Cross. —
General form of roadside crosses. — Tottenham Cross. — Tabernacle
heads to crosses. — Curious cross at Oakham. — Inscriptions on
crosses ............ 28 — 40
CONTENTS.
IV.
The Eleanor Crosses. — History of Queen Eleanor; the funeral proces-
sion ; sites where ^lemorial Crosses were erected. — Former import-
ance of Geddington ; the cross. — Northampton Cross ; its plan, —
Progress of the Procession to St. Albans and Waltham Abbey. —
Waltham Cross ; its inscriptions. — Cheapside Cross. — Old en-
graving of Charing Cross ........ 41 — 55
V.
Covered market-crosses ; frequently met with in Canada, also in old
English towns. — Malmesbury Market-Cross. — Desecration of
Malmesbury Church. — The Abbot William de Colhern. — Chichester
Market-Cross ; its erection and cost ; its plan.— Ipswich JMarket-
Cross ; suggestion for utilising similar crosses. — The Market-House
at Ross, Herefordshire. — Shrewsbury ISIarket-House. — Fourteenth-
centuiy pulpit.- — Shrewsbury Clock. — New Market-place in Chester.
— Proposal to demolish the old relics at York . ... . 56 — 69
VI.
Newark Cross. — The Battle of Towton. — Incident during the Civil
War. — Headington Cross. — The Palace of Ethelred. — The head of
Plenley Cross. — Leighton-Buzzard Cross. — The Brethren of Holy-
rood Cross. — Abingdon Cross ; cost of repairs ; the Roundheads
saw down the cross. — Coventry Cross ; its magnificence ; its re-
pairing and regilding ; curious features of this cross. — Somersby
Cross, near Horncastle. — Somersby Church ..... 70 — 81
VII.
Instructiveness of stone crosses. — Introduction of crosses by the Chris-
tian missionaries ; their striking resemblance to other remains of
antiquity. — Description of the groups on the interesting old crosses
at Sandbach ; their mutilation. — The crosses of lona and Monas-
terboice. — Dr. Johnson and the ruins of lona. — I-'oimer importance
of lona as a seat of learning,— Runic cross in the village of
Bromboro ........... Sz — 94
CONTENTS. ix
VIIT.
TAOE
IMore ancient forms of crosses. — Cross of an Eastern character at llilbre
Island ; Mr. Eckroyd Smith concerning this cross. — Remains of
Runic cross found embedded in the Dee. — Curious limestone lintel.
— Old Saxon cross at Eyam, Derbyshire. — -Bakewell Cross. — Carew
Cross. — Eastern Cross in Nevem Churchyard, Pembroke. — The
Knights Templars. — The Cornish crosses at St. Mawgan's, Four-
hole, and Forrabeiry. — Sueno Pillar, near Forres, Elgin . . 95 — 105
IX.
Tardy appreciation of English architecture. — Curious dialogue by
Henry Peacham between the Crosses of Charing and Cheap. —
Remorseless sacrifice of ancient monuments to modern improve-
ments.— The Cheddar Cliffs. — Plan of Cheddar Cross ; Britton's
account of this cross. — The City of Wells. — Shepton-Mallet and
its cross. — Quaint old cross at Glastonbury ; its singular shape and
ornaments. — Glastonbury New Cross io6 — wi
X.
The history of Bristol High-Cross. — The New Cross, Bristol. — The
statues of Gloucester Cross. — Oakley Grove, near Cirencester. —
Market-Cross of Cirencester ; Roman relics found in the neigh-
bourhood of the town. — Amusing anecdote from Camden. — Cross
in the churchyard of Ampney Crucis ; probability of its having been
a "weeping-cross." — Cross at Wedmore, Somerset. — "Jeffreys'
Cross." — Plan of Dundry Cross 119 — 131
XI.
"VVheston Cross. — Cross at Scraptoft. — Fine old cross at Leicester. —
Picturesque cross at Wymondham. — The Ivy Cross at Sutton
St, James. — Fourteenth-century Cross. — The Church and Cross
of Dindar. — The town of Devizes ; the Market-Cross ; curious
legend inscribed on the cross. — Cross denouncing the married
clergy. — Eltham Palace and Cross. — The town of Ludlow. —
Bitterley Cross ; its tabernacle.— Preservation of the crosses in the
Western Counties.— Crosses at Cricklade.— Tradition concerning
the name of Cricklade. — Cross at Pershore .... 132—144
X CONTENTS.
XII.
PAGE
Pentagonal Cross at Holbeach. — Old Conduit at Lincoln. — A Rebuke
to Puritan zeal. — St. Mary's Cross„ Lincoln. ^ — Langley Cross and
Abbey. — Cross in the Perpendicular style at North Petherton. —
Base of a cross in Bebbington Churchyard, near Chester. — Head of
a cross in the grounds of Delamere Abbey. — Fosbrooke's list of
the different forms of crosses. — Monuments on the Roman high-
ways.— The site of Idumea. — The so-called Pharaoh's Tomb. —
Concluding remarks 145 — 159
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
Winchester " Buiter " Cross
Salisbury Market-Cross
Restoration of Chester High-Cross
Glendower's Cross, in jMerioneth
St. Columb Cross, Cornwall
Cross at Stalbridge, Dorset
Bases in Gloucestershire and Norfolk
Remains of Preaching-Cross at Iron-Acton
Black Friars' Preaching-Cross, Hereford
Base of High-Cross at Aylburtox
Hempsted Cross, Gloucester
Our Lady's Well, Hempsted
Lydney Cross, Gloucester ....
Cross in Bisley Churchyard
Elegant Roadside Cross at Hereford
Cross at Clearwell, Gloucestershire
Tottenham Cross
Market-Cross at Oakham ....
Geddington Cross ......
Plan of Geddington Cross ....
Northampton Cross
Plan of Northampton Cross
Waltham Cross
Charing Cross (from the Crowle Collection)
The Market-Cross of Malmesbury
Interior View of Malmesbury Markkt-Cross
Chichester Market-Cross ....
Plan of Chichester Market-Cross
Singular Market-Cross at Ipswich .
Ross Market-House
The M.arket-Place, Shrewsbury .
1 1
13
17
18
20
21
23
24
3^
33
34
36
37
39
46
49
52
54
57
59
61
62
64
66
67
xii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIOXS.
PAOE
Newark Cross 71
Cross at Headington, Oxford 73
Head of Henley Cross 74
Leighton-Buzzard Cross, Bedfordshire 75
Cross at Abingdon 77
SoMERSBY Cross 80
Crosses at Sandbach, Cheshire 84
South and West Sides of Sandbach Cross 87
Cross at Iona 90
Monasterboice Cross, Louth 91
Incised Slabs, Chester Cathedral 92
Bromboro Cross 93
Remains of Runic Cross, Cheshire 97
Eyam Cross, Derbyshire 98
Cross in Bakewell Churchyard 100
Cross in Nevern Churchyard loi
Cornish Gross at Fourhole 103
Cross at Forraberry 103
St. Mawgan's Cross, Cornwall 104
Cheddar Cross iio
Plan of Cheddar Cross in
Cross at Shepton-Mallet 114
Glastonbury Old Cross 116
Glastonbury New Cross 117
The Old Cross, Bristol 121
Gloucester Cross 123
Cirencester Cross 126
Cross at Ampney-Crucis 128
Plan of Dundry Cross 130
Wheston Cross, Derby ■ , .133
Cross at Dindar . , 135
Devizes Cross . . ■ 136
BiiTERLEY Cross, Salop 139
Cross in St. Sampson's Churchyard, Cricklade . . . .141
Cross in St. Mary's Churchyard, Cricklade 142
Holbeach Cross, Lincoln 146
Conduit near St. Mar\''s, Lincoln 148
Cross at Langley 150
North Petherton Cross 151
Base of a Cross in Bebbington Churchyard, Cheshire . . 152
Head of a Cross, Delamere, Cheshire 153
THE
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGEAND.
I.
I TRUE picture of England as it existed in the
fourteenth and fifteenth centuries would now
be regarded as the dream of an antiquary or
an enthusiast. Abbeys, churches, and crosses
bristled over the land, and though for three centuries cruel
w^ar has been waged against them, there yet remain suffi-
cient noble examples of English architecture to indicate
what a wealth of grandeur and beauty has been swept
away. Mr. Ruskin says even of the present day, that
" the feudal and monastic buildings of Europe, and still
more the streets of her ancient cities, are vanishing like
dreams ; and it is difficult to imagine the mingled envy
and contempt with which future generations will look back
to us, who still possessed such things, yet made no effort
to preserve, and scarcely any to delineate them."
As an instance of the treasure of design that has been
lost, we may mention that, of those most beautiful crosses,
the Queen Eleanor memorials, only three are left — one at
Geddington, one at Northampton, and one at Waltham,
. y2 B
2 AXCIEXT STOXE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
twelve having- been destroyed ; and those three have
furnished the design for nearly all modern memorial
crosses. Some very good ones have doubtless been built
after the model of Waltham, such as the Martyrs' me-
morial at Oxford, Ham drinking-fountain, and Bishop
Fulford's monument, in jMontreal Cathedral Close ; and it
is no disrespect to the architects to say that their success
has been exactly in proportion to the fidelity with which
they have adhered to their originals.
The varieties of design in the few crosses that are left
to us is surprising, and will form the subject of future
consideration. If native English talent had been en-
couraged, and if in place of modern tombs we had adhered
to ancient English types, our cemeteries and graveyards
might have been solemn, peaceful places, wherein we
could have walked without being shocked with evidences
ot bad taste. Nothing is more impressive than a re-
cumbent knight, or lady, lying on a tom.b, with their
hands folded as in prayer, as we may see in almost any
old parish church in England ; and the tall, graceful
crosses that were swept away by the Puritans are just
such monuments as would make a graveyard beautiful.
Statues and sensational classic groups succeeded re-
cumbent effigies, and disfigured England during the reigns
of the Georges at enormous cost ; while graceful crosses
were superseded by unsightly and unmeaning obelisks.
The vast number of monuments in Westminster Abbey
that were erected during the reigns of the Georges are
notorious for bad taste. Heroes and statesmen, with a
fair accompaniment of heathen deities, would seem to be
holding high revel in the venerable building. There is
A NCI EXT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 3
a small cemetery at Overton, overlooking- a beautiful bend
// 'iiic'htstcr • ' Butter ' ' Cro
of the river Dee, which is in excellent taste. The pro-
prietor, it is believed, exercises a censorship over the
4 AXCIEXT S'WXE CROSSES OF ENGLAND .
tombstones ; and though these are plain and simple
crosses, the effect is good. Indeed, one only regrets the
more that the genius of those who designed the Eleanor
crosses has so completely perished out of the land.
The ancient crosses of England have been divided into
Memorial, Market, Boundary, Preaching, and Weeping-
Crosses. The market-cross of Winchester, engraved on
the previous page, is a structure of great grace and beauty.
It is called the " Butter Cross ;" some kind of distinctive
name is often applied to local market-crosses ; thus that
at Salisbury is called the " Poultry Cross." Milner con-
siders it to have been erected in the reign of Henry VI.,
but it probably dates back as far as Edward III. Britton,
writing of it only some forty years ago, says it was suffer-
ing much from the " wantonly careless practices of boys
and childish men;" it is hardly credible that even in
his time so meek a plea was urged for the preservation
of national monuments. " This, as well as all other
practices of public folly and mischievousness, should be
decidedly discountenanced," he says ; '* for when curious
memorials of antiquity are once destroyed they cannot be
replaced, and almost every person, sincerely or affectedly,
regrets their annihilation." This cross is about forty-five
feet in height, and is now well preserved.
But Winchester is only an example of a much more
capacious style of cross ; it afforded accommodation for
but a very few persons, and that imperfectly : the really
valuable and useful coxercd crosses are those wliicli, in a
much larger area, could shelter a crowd of market-people
from the wet, as the crosses of Malmesbury, or Salisbury,
or Chichester do at the present day. True it is they are
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 5
only a partial shelter, and singularly inadequate to the
requirements of an ordinary market-town ; but circum-
stances have now much changed ; fewer persons used to
attend, and round the market-cross booths were erected
Salisburv I\Iarket- Cross.
when necessary. These temporary shelters were always
to be had in a town, — much more readily, indeed, than we
could get them now,— and the proprietors let them, as
stalls at Leadenhall are rented.
6 AXCJENT STOA^E CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
Nothing can exceed the picturesque beauty of Salisbury
Cross. The stone it is built of is a warm grey. It stands
in a nook in the market-place. The sun lights it up fairly
and well, and on a busy day it contrasts quaintly with the
groups of market-carts and country people. It belongs to
the few canopied crosses that are left us, and differs from
Chichester and Malmesbury in many important particu-
lars. These market-canopies were at one time built of
oak — in counties where that timber was cheap. They may
have been taken down and used for porches, or embedded
in more recent buildings. It is certain that four were
standing early in this century ; and it would be matter of
sincere congratulation if one of these cherished relics of
the past could be added to the Art-treasures of the nation ;
indeed, it is not too much to hope that even some of the
stone crosses may be unearthed as Chester has been ; and
a very few fragments would suffict^ if not to restore, at
least to suggest to modern architects some new combina-
tions and forms.
Chester market-cross was . demolished at the general
destruction of crosses, when the Cromwellites, following
the example of the destro3'ers of monastic buildings,
warred against these objects of beauty. The remains were
buried near St. Peter's Church, in Chester, and about
seventy years ago conveyed to Netherlegh House, where
they were made into a sort of rockery in the grounds,
and, before the present proprietor came into possession,
they suffered even more mutilation ; enough, however,
remains of them to guide us to a proljable restoration,
with the assistance of a rudc^ drawing made by Randal
Holmes and preserved in the ilarl. MS. Tiip street scene
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OE ENGLAND. 7
is as Chester is at present, though, of course, it differs
C/u's/t-r '/ Jli^h-Cross," restored from o/d fragments at A'et/ier/egh.
from the appearance of the city when the cross was
standing. There was happily a limit to the rage for
8 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
destruction that prevailed during the period we have
alluded to, and looking at some of the obvious relics left,
we are led to fancy that even the soldiers of Cromwell
experienced something like satiety in breaking down ex-
cellent carved work with " axes and hammers." The
stone of which Chester Cross was built is very perishable,
quite as much so as the Cathedral, and when Randal
Holmes made his drawing it was more than two hundred
years old. Under the shelter of this cross, the annual riot
took place when the mayor left office. An account of one
of these riots is preserved by Randal Holmes, and reflects
much credit on the mayors for the conscientious way in
which they prosecuted the duties of their office. In 1619,
we are told that the energies of the mayor flickered up,
as it were, with his expiring dignities, and seeing a
tumult, he " could not forbeare, but he went in and smote
freely among them, and broke his white staff, and his
crier Thomas Knowsley broke his mace, and the brawl
ended." The name of the dignitary, on reference to a
list of the Chester mayors, seems to have been Sir R.
Mainwaring. There were other crosses, however, in and
around Chester at the time, which are occasionally alluded
to in the earlier records of the city.
Market-crosses originated in towns where there were
monastic establishments, and the " order " sent a monk
or friar on market-days to preach to the assembled farm-
ing people. Probably the theme dwelt on was that they
should be true and just in all their dealings, and the
effect was doubtless beneficial. Milner, in his " History
of Winchester," says, "The general intent of market-
crosses was to excite public homage to the religion of
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 9
Christ crucified, and to inspire men with a sense of mo-
rality and piety amidst the ordinary transactions of life."
These relics also gave the religious house a central point
to collect the tolls paid by farmers and dealers in country
produce for the privilege of selling in the limits of the
town ; and until very lately this same tax was held by
certain families in England, who exacted a toll from each
head of cattle that was brought into the market-town
for sale ; indeed, it probably exists in some few remote
country places at the present time. The original form of
market-crosses, according to that most patient and careful
investigator, Britton, was simply a stem like Chester — a
tall shaft on steps ; but in order to shelter the divine who,'
with his collector, officiated on market-days, a covering
was added, and this seems to have been literally the way
in which Cheddar Cross, in Somerset, was built. These
small covered crosses were, no doubt, the origin of covered
markets. There are several ancient market-places almost
of a transitional kind, like the one at Shrewsbury, which
was built in 1596, and affords space for a hundred people
with their produce.
The cross at Corwen, which is there called Glendower's
Cross, is clearly of a much earlier date than the chieftain
it is named after ; there is a curious dagger cut in relief
on one face which hitherto has not been accounted for.
It probably terminated in a sort of Greek cross like the
one at St. Columb, illustrated on page 1 1 . This form
is common, and abounds in Cornwall and Ireland. It
has been supposed to represent wicker-work, but the
intersecting circle, which is finely shown in the low cross
at St. Columb, was not improbably a conventional attempt
10 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
to signify a halo. The halos round the heads of saints in
pictures, even, were very solid-looking designs. One or
two more crosses of this description will be alluded to
hereafter, where there is a slight variety ; but as a general
rule there is much sameness, and consequently only a
modified interest in them.
Gleiidorver s Cross, Alcrionelh.
Crosses were introduced originally, it would seem, in the
.southern and western parts of the island, and travelled
slowly, and by no means uniformly, to the north. Mr.
Blight has illustrated the antiquities of Cornwall in a very
careful manner ; he is of opinion that crosses are more
common in the west of this country in consequence of the
earliest preachers having come from Ireland ; while in the
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OE ENGLAND. n
northern parts, which were visited by Welsh missionaries,
they arc scarce ; at any rate, the simikirity between the
Cornish and Irish crosses is very striking.
The earliest preachers of Christianity do not seem to
ha\ e made xiolent attacks upon the creeds and beliefs of
their converts. Their preaching more resembled that of
St. Paid at IMars Hill : they pointed to the groves and
St. Coluinh Cross, Cornii'all .
holy wells, and dedicated them in another name. Cross-
roads also were held peculiarly sacred in the early times,
and even as far back as the period of the Druids they
were marked liy upright stones, not dissimilar to those we
see at Stonehenge, though, of course, much smaller, and
these stones were chiselled on the upper part with a cross
in relief.
When these crosses are near a well, as at St. Keyne,
12 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OE ENGLAND.
they are often picturesque objects ; but this is owing",
generally, more to the surroundings than to any merit in
design. The number of them near ancient wells is very
great. We are led by a consideration of the Cornish
crosses to speak of those at Sandbach, which are among
the most perfect and the oldest examples in England.
They are situated in the eastern part of Cheshire, and were
probably erected at an early period of the vSaxon rule.
They were demolished wdth much persistency during the
last century, great violence being necessary to destroy
them ; but fortunately the remains, which had been dis-
persed and used to ornament grottoes and doorways,
were collected in 1816, and, at the suggestion of George
Ormerod, re-arranged in accordance with their former
condition.
In taking a rapid glance in this introductory chapter,
we see that market-crosses resembled the " preaching-
crosses " before alluded to. There are still some beautiful
remains of the latter, which seem to have been designed
for the preacher to address congregations in summer
weather in the open air. St. Paul's Cross, which was
destroyed by order of Cromwell, was the most celebrated
preaching-cross in Europe ; it was also often used for
political purposes. There are remains of these crosses at
Iron-Acton and Disley, in Gloucestershire, and several in
Hereford; formerly they were abundant, but they com-
monly shared the fate of St. Paul's Cross.
Boundary crosses were very important in marking the
limits of parishes and manors. There are many remains
of these round Chester. At Stalbridge, in Dorsetshire,
there is a good cross, thirty feet high, on three flights
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OE ENGf.AN/). .3
ot steps, with niched fiyfiires of the Virgin, St. John, &c.
Sta/bjidgc Croii, Doi^et.
Sometimes crosses performed the important office of
being sanctuaries. Near Delamere forest, in the middle
14 AXCTEXT STOXE CROSSES OF ENGLAXD.
of Cheshire, are several ancient crosses that tradition
asserts were for the convenience of travellers passing-
through the dense woods, where even robbers respected
them, provided the former could reach the cross first.
]\Iemorial crosses have been already alluded to; there are
in England two of the finest, if not the very finest, in the
world. Weeping- crosses were erected for the use of those
who were compelled to do penance by the parish clergy-
man. There is an example of one of these in Flintshire,
not far from HolywelL It is known by a* Welsh name
which signifies the Cross of jMourning, and was formerly
supposed to mark the site of some lost battle or- other
event.
We see, then, from the time when crosses were
introduced by the earliest preachers of Christianity into
England, or from the time when Justinian ordered them
to be placed in all Christian churches, to the time when
they were deliberately demolished by \q.X. of Parliament,
they were applied to many purposes, and branched out
into endless forms and devices. There is hardly any limit
to the variety and beauty of the crosses which adorn the
gables of churches. They mark each period with pre-
cision, and so great was their number that the remains
which have been spared are numerous.
11.
jllERE were probably not fewer than five thou-
sand crosses in England, of the kinds already
j|| indicated, at the time of the Reformation; and
though they may admit of some such classifica-
tion as that mentioned, they must have been erected for.
many other objects and on many other occasions than
have been enumerated. Some crosses, for example, were
supposed to have peculiar claims on certain classes ; like
c^ne at King's Weston, in Gloucestershire, most beautifully
situated on the Severn, at which sailors paid their devo-
tions after a voyage. This cross was celebrated far and
wide ; a judicious hole was cut in the stone to receive
the contributions of those who had profited by it, or hoped
to do so. I am indebted to Canon Lysons, of Gloucester,
for furnishing me with the following extracts, which show
how universal, even at an early period, the use of the cross
was : — " Tertullian [Dc Coj'ona Alilitis)^ writing A.D. 199, or
one hundred and twenty years before the conversion of
Constantino, to which period most writers have been in the
habit of tracing the use of the cross, writes : — * At every
commencement of business, whenever we go in or come
out of any place, when we dress for a journey, when we go
into a bath, when we go to meat, when lights are brought
i6 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
in, when we lie down or sit down, and whatever business
we have, we make on our foreheads the sign of the cross.'
And Chrysostom, in 350, says : ' In the private house, in
the public market-place, in the desert, on the highway, on
mountains, in forests, on hills, on the sea, in ships, on
islands,' " &c. This last quotation is extremely suggestive
of the great variety of places where crosses are found. In
a future chapter we shall dwell more particularly on the
versatility of design that has been expended on them, and
our own inferiority in ingenuity and resource to the
media?val a.rchitects. Nothing illustrates this more for-
cibly than the obvious incompetence of the profession to
deal with new materials, for example, plate-glass, where
no precedent has been furnished — what would an architect
of the fifteenth century not have given for such a splendid
material ! But now whenever it is introduced in large
plates, in a Gothic building, the effect is simply a kind of
Alhambra appearance — not the old Alhambra, the modern
one. The drawing here given illustrates a very simple
object indeed, — the converting a square base into the base
of an octagon shaft. These square bases are the top
steps of different crosses ; and by splays or brooches they
become, in the next stage, octagonal shafts, having a very
satisfactory and finished look.
To take another familiar instance. We have for more
than a century been content with the modern square
marble chimney-piece over a fire-grate, with a flat slab
for ornaments, which is an institution peculiarly of the
eighteenth and nineleenth centuries. I do not know that
anything so dreary has ever been devised for any purpose
whatever ; nor would it be easy to invent anything else
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
•7
so bad, and yet these are being put up by hundreds daily
throughout the length and breadth of the land. Perhaps
a worthy rival might be found in the sash-windows which
have supplanted casements. The latter when open or
closed, as the case might be, broke to some extent the
Bases in Glottcesterslui-e and Xiirfolk.
monotony of a weary row of square windows, such as we
see in a London street ; and in a happy moment some
one invented a sash-window, to give a finishing touch to
the baldest kind of architecture that has ever disfigured
any country. True it is they are more complicated, more
expensive, and less efficient, besides offering every pos-
C
1 8 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
sible obstacle to cleaning. But it was a momentous ques-
tion : something was left undone that could be done to
add to the ugliness of street architecture, so utility and
Remains of Preacliing-Cross at I ran- Act on, Gloucester.
common-sense were sacrificed. These reflections naturally
follow the examination of the crosses we are considering,
which are not only convenient, but objects of great beauty.
AXCIEXT STOXE CROSSES OF EXGLAXD. 19
The cross at Iron-Acton, in Gloucestershire, seems to
have been designed for addressing a congregation out of
doors in summer weather; the engraving can give only
a faint idea of what it was originally. The stone of
which it is made is very hard, and the carvings on it
are perfect ; but it has been mutilated designedly. The
angle-buttresses were formerly terminated by pinnacles,
and over the centre was the tall cross. It has evidently
been destroyed by heavy missiles ; there are marks on
the upper part where stones have struck ; but whether tlie
remaining part was too solid for further mischief, or
whether the inhabitants of the houses on the other side
objected to the proceedings, we are nowhere informed.
There was a light octagonal shaft, in the middle of which
the base and cap are now standing ; and from this sprang
elegant moulded ribs, intersected by carved bosses. The
work is evidently of the fifteenth century.
The preaching-cross of the Black Friars' monastery, in
Hereford, somewhat resembles that of Iron-Acton ; but
the details of the former are richer, and the design is more
elaborate. It is perhaps, at first, not obvious why the
Hereford cross is more pleasing in apj^earance ; but this
arises simply from the fact of its being hexagonal instead
of square. Hexagonal or octagonal structures on this scale
always suit the tone and intention of Gothic architecture
better than square ones. This is happily illustrated in
Chester Cathedral, where the bishop's throne, which is
excellent in detail, but square, is opposite the pulpit,
which is octagonal, and the difference in effect is very
marked. The Black Friars came to Hereford during the
time of St. Thomas Chanteloup, about 1280, and at first
20 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
they set up a small oratory at Portfield ; but on that falling
into ruin, Sir John Daniel commenced another for them,
Black Friars^ f'lvdc king- Cross, Hereford.
which was finished by Edward III. Round the pulpit
that is here shown were cloisters, into which the public
were able to retire in wet weather without bcin^' out of
AXCIEXT STOXL' CKU.SSES OF J-JXiU.AXJ). 21
the hearing of the preacher ; something, it is said, in the
style of old St. Paul's preaching-cross. In this enclosure
a great number of influential people were buried, as is
Base of High Cross at Aylhiirfon, Gloucester.
narrated by Grose, and also by Dugdale. The monastic
buildings were destroyed, and used, in the same place, for
an asylum for soldiers and domestic serv^ants, early in the
seventeenth centurv.
7 2 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
The crosses of Lydney and Aylburton, which are situated
in a beautiful part of Gloucestershire, on the left bank of
the Severn, differ much from the preceding ; and it is
somewhat difficult to classify them under any of the heads
originally specified. They are approciched by tall flights
of steps, from which it is not improbable that an eccle-
siastic may have ciddressed the rustics. The one at Lyd-
ney must have been a splendid structure when complete.
These crosses are called by local authorities fourteenth-
century work. There is nothing in the style of architecture
to indicate their age with any kind of precision, but there
is no reason to suppose the date is incorrect ; history is
silent regarding them. Mr. Pooley, in his excellent work
on the Gloucestershire crosses, points out indications
of their being designed by a foreign artist — an Italian
probably ; and certainly the heavy corners of the one
at Aylburton would seem to confirm this supposition.
Italian artists were not unfrequently employed ; it is
known that they were engaged by Edward I. on the
Eleanor crosses.
Hempsted Cross, also in Gloucestershire, is situated in
the pretty vi41age of Hempsted, and within a short distance
from Hempsted Court, the seat of the Lysons family, where
the great work ''Magna Britannia" was written, a book
which for fidelity and exhaustiveness stands almost alone
in antiquarian researches ; even though it was a pioneer,
and published nearly three-quarters of a century ago.
This cross is very picturesque, standing in the middle of a
quiet village of more than ordinary beauty. It had been
partially destroyed ; but Mr. Eysons, the present lord of
the manor, found the pieces, and had it restored.
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 23
A little farther along-, on the field-road to Gloucester city,
is another cross, differing materially from those last enu-
Hempsted Cross, Gloucester.
merated, and called " Our Lady's AVell." It is closed in
the sfable on the reverse side of that shown, has been walled
24 AXCIJ^AT STOXE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
up closely in the present century, and it is commonly said
to be arched with moulded ribs inside, and to have, or to
have had, some carving. All the old stone-work is singu-
larly sharp and clear in this district : it was solt when
worked originally, and became indurated after a compara-
Uiir Lady's H\'//, Hcmpsted : Bascs of tzvo Crosses iwcr Gables.
tively short exposure to the weather ; and, like other stone
of a similar kind, when once the face is chipped away it
never forms again.
With the exception of the last cross named, all those
AXCIENT STOXE CROSSES OF ENGLAM). 25
treated in this chapter might be called preaching-crosses.
It is often matter of conjecture why they should havx'
been placed in such unlikely spots ; a few words of expla-
nation will suffice, beyond those already given.
About one hundred and fifty years after the Conquest
lived and fiourished St. Francis, who, at the age of thirty-
seven, enjoyed the title of " Seraphic Father." lie was
the son of a wealthy merchant ; but, after a fit of sickness,
disinherited himself, and set to work to establish a new
order. He wore a grey serge coat, and soon was at the
head of a chapter of five thousand friars, who habited
themselves like him, and were called " Grey Friars."
About the same time another zealous reformer, Dominic
de Guzman, founded another order of friars, who dressed
in black and wore a white rochet. The latter monks were
the first to arrive in England, with high testimonials from
the Pope ; and great was the sensation they caused. They
came on foot, the humility of their rule forbidding them
to mount horses. They professed to want not silver, nor
gold, nor lands, but felt they had a necessity laid upon
them to preach the Gospel to the poor. These Black
Friars, also called Dominicans, soon established a splendid
monastery in London, and had a bridge over the Thames,
where the present one bearing their name stands. Both
these orders were called IMendicants, and even a slight
acquaintance with the various brotherhoods would be use-
ful in examining the present remains of monasteries or
crosses, or indeed of mediaeval architecture generally.
The Cistercians came into England in 1128, from
Aumone Abbey, in Normandy, the Bishops of Winchester
establishing them in the Abbey of Waverley. They might
26 AXCIEXr STOXE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
be called a sect of the Benedictines, and were equally
remarkable for the strictness of their lives. What this
strictness was, we are not at a loss to gtither from the
records of many Cistercian monasteries : they ate neither
flesh nor fowl, unless given them in alms ; and built their
religious houses at a given distance from each other,
always selecting some secluded place. Their text was thiit
" the wilderness and the solitary place should be glad ; "
and the houses of the Cistercians well carried out their
text. Fountains, Furness, and Valle Crucis Abbeys, and
eight hundred other buildings, were the astonishing results
of their labours, of which eighty-five were in England and
Wales. They went about, in the first instance, carrying
preaching-stands, as the Wesleyans do now in some
country places ; but soon established preaching-crosses as
a more convenient and dignified way of addressing the
people. The diJficulty of finding any historical record of
so many crosses arises from the fact that they were built
out of the rapidly growing wealth of the orders, and were
barely recorded even at the time they were erected.
There were many other orders, besides those mentioned,
who were equally strict in their way of life. Well would
it have been with them, and perhaps the generations after
them, had they adhered to their asceticism ; but unhap-
pily increasing- wealth brought increasing temptations to
luxury, and the profusion of their households became a
by-word. Parochial clergymen invented caricatures of
them, which were even incorporated in carvings in parish
churches, in sometimes nameless devices, gixing acci-
dentally a cue to some modern architects to copy in tlieir
ignorance designs thai have lost their moaning.
AIVCJENT Sl'ONE CROSSES OF EXGLAXD. 27
So strict at one time was the law of the mendicant
orders, that they never spoke except in preaching from a
high cross ; and only made signs, after their discourse, for
what they wiinted. How they fell away from their high
standard is no part of the present work to record ; but the
Royal Commission found that in Furness Abbey, Rogerus
Pele, the Abbot, had one more wife than would be allowed
to even a layman, and two more than an ecclesiastic ought
to have, as the chronicler relates ; and others were enu-
merated who had similarly relaxed the rules. It is only
fair to the Cistercians to add that they covered the country
with buildings that have no rivals in any country for
architectural skill and beauty ; indeed, we may generally
refer any large building of more than ordinary beauty to
the Cistercian order.
III.
N writing a brief treatise on the "crosses" of
England, it has been found ahnost necessary to
adapt the subject to a series of essays, as be-
yond a certain limit classification would become
difficult ; though, indeed, the next chapter, on the Queen
Eleanor Crosses, will deal entirely with one portion of the
subject. Could road-side crosses have remained to the
present day, they would have been cherished objects in
almost every village of England ; but to blame wholesale
the spirit that led to their destruction, would be not to
make sufficient allowance for the terrible times from which
all Europe was scarcely emerging. After the suppression
of the religious houses by Henry VIII. there had been a
vigorous attempt to re-establish the Roman Catholic re-
ligion in England, and the Inquisition was strengthened
by royal favour. So far, however, was the Reformed
religion from being put down, that it seemed to flourish in
spite of it, and France, through four stormy reigns and the
invasion of many foreign armies, was shaken to its very
centre. Spain was at this time, perhaps, the most powerful
country on the Continent of Europe, and resolved to put
down the Reformation, even in its most incipient aspects,
and that by the Inquisition. Here it may be well to con-
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 29
sider what the Inquisition was. There was nothing new in
the idea of an inquisition ; it was established in France,
Italy, Germany, and Portugal, and also in England. We
all remember how, in " Marmion " —
" that blind old abbot rose
To speak the chapter's doom ; "
and after hearing all that could be said, his —
'• doom was given,
Raising his sightless balls to heaven : —
' Sister, let thy sorrows cease ;
Sinful brother, part in peace ! ' "
And then the executions took place, in the picturesque
language of Scott, while the abbot and chapter hurried up
the winding stair. " But the Spanish Inquisition," accord-
ing to Schiller, " came from the west of Europe, and was
of a different origin and form ; the last Moorish throne in
Granada had fallen in the fifteenth century, but the Gospel
was still new, and in the confused nature of heterogeneous
laws the religions had become mixed. It is true the sword
of persecution had driven many thousand families to Africa,
but a far larger portion, detained by the love of climate
and home, purchased remission from this dreadful necessity
by a show of conversion." And indeed, while the Moham-
medan could offer up his prayers in private towards
Mecca, and the Jew could still pray with his face towards
Jerusalem, Granada was not subdued, and Jews and ^NIos-
lems were lost to the throne of Rome. So now it was
decided to extirpate the roots of their creeds, their man-
ners, and their language ; and the Inquisition, called the
" Spanish " Inquisition, was established. It has received
this name in order to distinguish it from all other inquisi-
30 AXCIEXT STONE CROSSES OF EXGLAXD.
tions by its wickedness and cruelty ; indeed, we may search
all the annals of history for its prototype, and happily we
shall search in vain. The moment a susjDected party, in
fact, any one that even doubted the impeccability of the
Pope, was pointed out, his fate was sealed • he was led in
mock procession under the bright skies of Spain ; bells
were jangled out of time and tune ; priests sang a solemn
hymn ; and with yellow vestments, painted all over with
black devils, with a gagged mouth, without sometimes
knowing the name of his accuser, or even his particular
crime, he was led to his execution. This Inquisition soon
spread through Portugal, Italy, Germany, and France, and
even India was not long free from its powerful arm.
England, of course, was particularly obnoxious to it, and
in order to its establishment on these uncongenial shores,
the Spanish Armada was equipped and sent. Indeed,
when the order went abroad from parliament for the
destruction of crosses as pertaining to the Romish Church,
it should be remembered that men were still living who had
known galley after galley go to the bottom of the English
Channel with its racks and screws on board. Of course
all this cannot excuse the destruction of crosses by the
Puritans ; who, indeed, in their turn, were equally illogical,
and in many important things as bigoted as the parties
they oppressed.
The " Percy Ballads " contain an excellent satire upon
the destruction of Charing Cross. The edition published
in 1794 says, in the introduction to this ballad, that
Charing Cross "was one of those beautiful obelisks erected
by Edward I., who built such a one wherever the hearse
of his beloved Eleanor rested on its way from Lincolnshire
AXCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAXD. 31
to Westminster. But neither its ornamental situation, the
beauty of its structure, nor the noble design of its erection,
could preserve it from the merciless zeal of the time."
And then it proceeds to show how even the quiet people
of those times looked upon its senseless destruction : —
" Undone, undone, the lawyers are,
They wander about the towne.
Nor can they find their way to Westminster
Now Charing Cross is downe ;
At the end of the Strand they make a stand,
Swearing they are at a loss,
And chaffing say, That's not the way,
They must go by Charing Cross."
From another part of this clever satire there seems to have
been an inscription on this cross ; for the writer protests
that it could not have had any treasonable designs, as it
never was heard to speak one word against the parliament.
He saj's —
" For neither man, nor woman, nor child,
Will say, I'm confident,
They ever heard it speak one word
Against the parliament.
An informer swore it letters bore,
Or else it had been freed ;
I'll take in troth my Bible oath
It could neither write nor read."
Lydney Cross, in Gloucestershire, is situated not far
from Aylburton, already mentioned, which it must ha\'e
somewhat resembled, though it stands on a higher flight
of steps, and is more imposingly situated at the end of the
road leading into the village. What the original form may
have been it is not easy now to determine, but the base
seems well adapted for the support of a good cross ; it was
probably brooched into an octagon on the next stage, and .
finished with tabernacle-work. Lydney was granted to
32
AXCIE.YT STONE CROSSES OF EXGLAXD.
Sir William Wintour, who did such good service in the
time of the Armada ; he built a house there, which was
destroyed during the civil wars, when the cross was dis-
Lydiwy L'/vss, Uloiict'stcr.
mantled. The manor was afterwards purchased by the
Bathurst family, who built l^ydney House in one of the
most beautiful parks in Great Britain.
Bisley Cross, also in Gloucestershire, is unlike any in
AKCTEXT STOXE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
II
England. It is called by so careful a writer as Britton,
a preaching--cross ; but this must be a mistake. Indeed, it
is not certain, from his notice of it, that he had seen it ; he
appears rather to mention it as a specimen of crosses in
Cross in Bisley LhiirJiyard, Gloucester.
general, which was a subject he promised to take up when
time permitted — which, alas! it never did. Bisley Cross
has all the appearance of having been erected over a well
in the churchyard; but there is no trace of a spring now.
D
34 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
Perhaps, however, the water may have dried up, as is not
uncommonly the case in that stratum ; this is the more
probable, as one of the late ]\Ir. Lysons' plates shows
n hite Ftiats' C/oss, Htufoni
the cross crowned by a sort of font. Bisley is one of the
most ancient crosses — excepting those at Sandbach — of
which we shall have occasion to speak. It must have
been built, according to its mouldings and its general
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 35
appearance, about the year 11 70. It stands on a circular
basement, upon which, are six upright shafts forming a
hexagon ; these again support six cusped arches with
Early English mouldings, and are terminated by bold
Early English heads ; fillets run up each angle and stop
very singularly in a bevel, about half-way up ; this hexa-
gon supports again six smaller arches with very deep
mouldings. The general appearance of the work resembles
Peterborough and other Early Pointed specimens.
White Friars' Cross, nearHereford, stands about a mile
from the city ; the upper part is new, though built pro-
bably in the style of the old. There was formerly a market
held here. The cross was built by Bishop Charlton at the
time of a great plague in Hereford ; but there are no traces
left of the plague-stone, which contained the hollow for
vinegar, in which the money was placed. This is a very
valuable and beautiful specimen of a roadside cross, and
must have resembled Lydney when the latter was perfect,
only that it is richer and more elegant in workmanship.
Clearwell Cross, in Gloucestershire, is generally attri-
buted to the fourteenth century ; it is on a square base,
which rests on large square steps, as shown in the woodcut,
and is a very characteristic specimen of the ordinary road-
side cross of that district : in other parts of England
different forms prevailed, and the light tabernacle work is
common. The general form of these crosses may be
described as tall shafts (monoliths) resting on a base like
that at Lydney, Clearwell, or Hereford, generally square,
but occasionally hexagonal, and diminished by brooches :
on this shaft was carved the cross, in many instances, but
in others a wrought-iron cross was substituted, w^hich was
36
AXCIE.YT STOXE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
fixed on iron hooks driven into the monolith ; some of
these hooks still remain.
Tottenham Cross, again, is a type of a totally different
kind, and is here introduced as a contrast. The present
Cleanvell Cross, Gloucestershire.
Structure is comparatively modern — or at least it is the old
cross cased round. The ancient cross is familiar to us
from old-fashioned prints, in which the earlier Georgian
dresses appear, and also mail-coaches ; it belongs to the
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 37
type of solid crosses, like miniature spires. These seem to
prevail more in the eastern counties, and of them the
Eleanor examples are pre-eminent among all others in the
kingdom for their grace and beauty. Greatly inferior as
this cross is in every way to the Eleanor crosses, it is a
pleasant object by the roadside.
Totteiiliaiu Cross.
As we have before remarked, there are other forms of
crosses peculiar to certain localities, and, as a contrast to
each of the last-named, is the cross with the tabernacle-
head, like the " Chester Cross," engraved on page 7 — not
38 ANCIEXT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
that even these are confined to any strictly laid-down
limits ; thus there is one at St. Donato, Cornwall, one at
Cricklade, Wiltshire, one at Henley-in-Arden, Warwick-
shire, and there are more at other places. It is a pleasing
fact to be able to announce that a beautiful tabernacle-head
to a cross has been discovered in the middle of Cheshire.
The last cross we shall notice in this chapter is a very
curious one at Oakham. Britton mentions four oak market-
crosses as standing at the beginning of this century ; and
doubtless in counties where oak-trees were plentiful these
crosses were once numerous : but to this one at Oakham
he has not alluded. It is an interesting and extremely
picturesque object, standing on eight square blocks of stone,
on which are as many upright oak posts ; a beam goes from
each and rests on the head of its neighbour, being supported
by small struts ; and in the middle is a very solid pier, with
two steps or seats for the market-people. There is another
oak market-cross in the same town, but it is square ; and,
though apparently of the same age, is far inferior in
picturesqueness to the one we engrave. Oakham is an
exceedingly interesting county town, and is not visited so
much as it deserves. It formerly belonged to the Earls
Ferrar, who exacted tribute from all barons passing
through ; in later times this was often commuted into the
payment of a horseshoe (the arms of the family) ; some of
these are still hung up in the Town Hall, and are of
enormous size. The Town Hall was formerly a part of
the family mjinsion. If this cross be considered only a
variety of such as Chichester and Alalmesbury, we shall
then have taken a brief survey of all kinds of crosses
in England.
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
39
Inscriptions on crosses were formerly common, and
alluded either to the piety of the founder, for whom
prayers were invoked, or reminded passers-by of their
duty. The old cross at Wavertree village, near Liverpool,
Oakham Market-Cross.
is pulled down, but the well and the inscription remain : —
"QVI XOX OAT (^)V(ID HABliT
I).i;mon infra rjdet;"
which has been translated in Bain's " Lancashire" into the
40 AXCIENT STOA'E CROSSES OF EXGLAXB.
following almost literal couplet : —
" He who does not here bestow,
The devil laughs at him below ; "
and, indeed, other remains show almost equally broad
hints for the contributions of the faithful. The Eleanor
crosses, however, which will form the subject of our next
chapter, were only put up for the prayers of passers-by for
the rest of the soul of the queen.
Sir Walter Scott, in his last canto of "Marmion," thus
alludes to the inscription on the cross and well where the
Lady Clare went for water to bathe the head of Marmion
after his wound : —
" Behold her mark
A little fountain cell,
Where water, clear as diamond spark, .
In a stone basin fell.
Above, some half-worn letters say,
Drink, 7veaiy pilgrim, drink ; and pray
For the ki>id sotil of Sybil Grey,
Who built this cross and iveliy
IV.
MONG all the memorial crosses in Europe, those
of Queen Eleanor stand alone. Their beauty of
^ proportion, their variety of design, the ideas
which they have suggested to modern archi-
tects, and the touching story of their erection, give them
undisputed pre-eminence.
Queen Eleanor was espoused to Edward I. in 1255, in
the tenth year of her age, he himself being but five years
older. This espousal took place during the visit of the
prince to Alfonso X., King of Castile. She remained
in Franco till her twentieth year, and then went over
to England to join Prince Edward, living principally at
Windsor. Elere their two eldest sons were born, who
gave great promise from their intelligence and beauty.
Another son was also born before they left on their
ever-memorable expedition to the Holy Land ; on their
return they learned, while staying with Charles of Anjou,
that their two eldest sons were dead. Another was
shortly after born, and named Alfonso, after Eleanor's
brother; he is said to have been more promising even
than the others, but he also died very early. They had in
all fifteen children, and of these six survived. Queen
Eleanor accompanied her husband in all his expeditions
4 2 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
and wars — the Holy Land, Wales, and Scotland ; it was
her tact and exceeding' amiability that assisted him to
pacify the malcontent Welshmen. Rhuddlan Castle and
Caernarvon were alternately her residences, and Conway
at a somewhat more recent date.
No one can be surprised, after a brief perusal of the reign
of Edward, that his devotion to his queen was so great.
She entered into all his schemes, was beloved by his
subjects, in whose welfare she always took an interest, and
her sweet beauty is immortalised by Pietro Cavallini in
the well-known monument at Westminster.
Queen Eleanor died at Harby, or Hardeby, in Notting-
hamshire, while travelling northward to join her husband
in his .Scottish wars. She w^as seized with a dangerous
autumnal fever, and though Edward, immediately on hear-
ing of it, turned southward, he never saw her again alive.
Nothing more singularly illustrates the looseness with
which authorities are quoted, than the difficulty that has
been experienced in arriving at the actual route the body
of Queen Eleanor was taken in its last journey. She has
often been said to have died near Bolingbroke, in Lincoln-
shire, but many circumstances point to Llardeby as being
the actual place. She died at the house of a gentleman
named Richard Weston, but every trace of the house and
the family has now disappeared. The queen may probably
have been on her road to Broadholme Priory, only a few
miles distant.
Her illness seems to have been rather lingering, for we
read that on the i8th of October, or six weeks before her
death, a mark [i^s. J\d.) was paid to Henry of Montpellier
for syrups and other medicines for the use of the queen ;
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 43
rather a considerable sum in those days, though there is
much difficulty in arriving at the value of money at that
period ; at least, the common method of computing it as
worth ten or twenty times as much then as it is now (both
of which estimates are maintained), is exceedingly vague.
Thus it is said that William of Wykeham only received
i.v. per day for his work at Windsor Castle, with an extra
shilling per diem for any other work he was employed on
for the king. This, however, was to include all travelling
expenses ; although, probably, he had never far to go.
There is a singular calculation that for long journeys, sucli
as from London to Carlisle, the nominal sum, if luggage
were included, would fully equal that paid at the present
day, which alone will give us an insight into the enormous
cost of travelling in ancient times, and perhaps account
for country towns, even up to the present day, bearing
traces of having been centres of social " seasons " for
families of rank. We must not, therefore, infer that
13^. i\d. was an exorbitant bill, or that it indicated any
very "serious overcharge on the part of the Lincoln apothe-
cary, for we cannot tell what he had to pay for the
medicines. The queen was attended by her own physician,
who bore the Spanish name of Leopardo, and also by a
brother- doctor, who held a high position in the court of the
King of Aragon.
There are those who maintain that King Edward was
simply on a hunting expedition, and not proceeding to the
Scottish wars ; of this they say that the meeting of the
parliament at Clipston, where he had a mansion, and where
his signature appears to documents, is ample evidence.
In support of this view, he is traced from Geddington to
44 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
Macclesfield, in Cheshire — which, indeed, lies near Dele-
mere Forest, and is still crown property : but the probability
is that the documents alluded to were signed some days,
or even weeks, after they w^ere executed.
Queen Eleanor died on the 28th of November, 12Q1. A
cross was erected at every resting-place of her funeral
procession on its way to Westminster. There was nothing
particularly new in the idea ; it was only an extension of
the lich-gate system, for a corpse always rested under a
"lich," of which there are many left in every county in
England ; and, indeed, these resting-places are quite ana-
logous to the Eleanor crosses. On the road from Paris to
St. Denis, the last resting-place of so many kings of
France, crosses were erected at almost ever}^ few hundred
yards — all, however, to be swept away at the Revolution ;
indeed, by a decree of 1793, more than fifty tombs were
destroyed at the grand Abbey of St. Denis.
The places where Queen Eleanor's body remained for
the night have been numbered at fifteen, but probably only
twelve of the so-called Eleanor crosses were erected. The
distance from Hardeby to Westminster, by the old roads,
was one hundred and fifty-nine miles ; and if thirteen and
a half miles were accomplished each day by the melancholy
procession, that would be a considerable journey; the
season was winter, and the roads in the east of England
were very bad. We believe, after much research, that the
sites of the crosses were Lincoln, Grantham, Stamford,
Geddington, Northampton, Stony-Stratford, Woburn, Dun-
stable, St. Albans, Waltham, West Cheap, and Charing. .
The queen's heart was deposited in the church of the
Friars Praedicants in London, and the bowels in the chapel
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 45
of the Virgin in Lincoln Minster, where there is also a
statue to her, and another to her husband, both of singular
beauty and dignity.
The funeral procession set out on the 4th of December,
and arrived at the end of its memorable stages on the 17th.
After leaving Stamford, the ordinary route was abandoned,
to enable some of the religious houses to be visited ; and
it seems that, after leaving St. Albans, the king hastened
on to London in person, and met the procession on its
entrance into the city.
All the Eleanor crosses have disappeared except those of
Geddington, Northampton, and Waltham ; these three are
fortunately in a state of good preservation. Their variety of
design suggests that they are not the work of the same hand.
Geddington cross is unlike any English Gothic architecture ;
indeed, it has so much the appearance of the architecture of
Spain at that period, as to make it probable that it was the
work of one of the queen's owm countrymen. It is tri-
angular in plan, and, as will be noticed, the fronts of the
figures face a muUion, unlike the other crosses ; suggesting-,
indeed, rather a caged look. But this is not the most
av/kward part of the design, for it will be seen that, if
viewed from an angle, the whole structure is of necessity
off the centre. The diaper patterns, which are illustrated
in the fifth edition of Rickman, are eight in number ; as
will be seen, they cover the whole of the lower stage of the
cross. They are exceedingly well engraved in Rickman's
work (apparently by the late O. Jewitt), and are in them-
selves of great beauty. This cross is erected over a spring
of clear water, which never runs dry.
That Geddington should have been chosen as a restinsf-
46 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
place is not to be wondered at, as it is certain that a con-
siderable ro3^al palace stood there. Though this beautiful
Northamptonshire village is now but little known, and
— \
Geddins^ton Cross.
even that little chiefly from its cross, parliaments have
discussed and passed weighty matters there in ancient
times. Plenry II. here decided on the expedition to the
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OE ENGLAND. 47
Holy Land, and many articles concerning the voyage were
concluded. Stowe says, " the whole realme was troubled
with taxes" in consequence — all decided on at this little
hamlet. John also held parliaments here, and dated many
charters from it. Every trace of this palace has passed
away, though there is a field on which it stood, which still
bears the name of the Hall Close. The little inn, the
Plan of Gcddiiigton Cross, Northampton.
Star, which is close by, bears traces inside ot having
been part of a " considerable house of great antiquity."
The two posts shown in the woodcut are part of the village
stocks. From an old print, published in 1788, it seems
that the third story of the cross was utilised for a sun-dial.
From Geddington the cortege went to Northampton,
which it reached on the 9th of December, the distance of
this stage being about nineteen miles ; the road is exceed-
48 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
ingly beautiful, and passes by the seats of the Duke of
Buccleuch and Lord Overstone. Northampton Cross, un-
like Geddington, is octagonal in form, and is in an
-T^rs
^
Northampton Cross.
exceedingly fine state of preservation ; it stands about a
mile from the town, on the London road, in a large recess
in the park wall of Delapre Abbey, the seat of the Bouverie
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
49
family. Northampton has many ancient buildings, edifices
which were two hundred years old even when Queen
Eleanor's remains rested there ; it must have been a place
of comparatively much greater importance in those days
than it is now. This cross has been perhaps less often
copied than Waltham, but it is not inferior to it in beauty
of design. The Martyrs' Memorial at Oxford, designed by
Sir G. G. Scott, is a combination of the two. The female
Plan of Nortliamptou Cross.
figures are exceedingly graceful and light. Queen Eleanor
must have been above the average height, and a wonderful
example of feminine beauty. The top of this cross is
broken off exactly as it is shown in the engraving; from
the general appearance of the design the shaft probably
ended in light pierced gables, with pinnacles between, and
from this the cross started : happily no modern architect
has been commissioned to attempt its restoration. The
plan of the cross, which is here shown, is curious, and
E
50 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OE ENGLAND.
very ingenious, and resembles one of the snow-crystals,
except that the latter are always hexagonal. The plans
of the crosses of Geddington and Northampton, in their
various angles, offer a contrast of design to Waltham,
which is hexagonal, so that the three crosses left to us are
all of different plan, and differ even as to the number of
their sides. In a recent and interesting work called " Art-
Studies from Nature, as applied to Design," * there are a
number of snow-crystals shown ; so closely do these re-
semble in character the plan of an Eleanor cross, that they
might readily be adapted by an architect ; by running uj)
perpendiculars from their angles they would suggest new
forms with unerring certainty ; indeed, this idea seems to
have been present to Mr. Glaisher when he wrote the
article which that work contains on these snow-crystals. ■
From Northampton the procession went to Stony- Strat-
ford. This is a stage of only fourteen miles, the route lying
through Blisworth, Road, and Grafton Regis. Every trace
of the cross has disappeared, nor can we find where it
stood.
The next place on the route to London was Dunstable,
which lies nineteen miles farther off; here, as in the last
place, all traces are gone. Tradition yet speaks of the
glory of this structure, which was built near the present
Town -Hall. Camden says of it that it was a cross, or
pillar, adorned with the arms of England, Castile, and
Ponthieu, and bearing carved statues of the queen. The
procession would thus pass by Fenny-Stratford and Wo-
* "Art-Studies from Nature, as applied to Design. For the use of Architects,
Designers, and Manufacturers." Profusely Illustrated. Virtue & Co., Ivy Lane,
Paternoster Row.
ANCTEXT STOXE CROSSES OF ENGL AND. 51
burn, through Wiitling Street ; but as Woburn Abbey is
two or three miles off the London road, and only ten
from Stratford, which they had left in the morning, it is
not apparent why they should stay there for the night,
especially as the abbey was deserted by the monks in 1234,
in consequence of the scanty endowments, and was not
opened again till the end of the century ; still, however,
tradition assigns here some wayside monument to the
queen. The road from Dunstable to St. Albans is only
twelve miles long; it passes through Kensworth and Red-
burn, and lies in a very pleasant country.
The Abbey of St. Albans was of great dignity in those
days, and naturally the procession would rest there before
proceeding. It had entertained Henry I. and Queen Maud
nearly two hundred years before, on the occasion of its
consecration, keeping up festivities for eleven days. The
church of that period is still standing, built of Roman
hewn stones.
The last resting-place of the body before entering the
precincts of London was Waltham. Waltham Cross is
certainly one of the most precious inheritances we have
from the architecture of the Middle Ages. On an old
print of this cross, dated 17 18, is the following inscrip-
tion : — " Waltham Cross, here represented to y'^ N.E., was
one of the crosses erected by King Edward L, about y^ year
1 29 1, in memory of his consort, Queen Eleanor, da""- of
Ferdin''. 31. K. of Castile & Leon, whose arms are cut on
the lower part of this cross, as are those of y'^ Countess of
Pontieu, her mother, & also of England." In another print
of apparently the same date occurs the following : — " In
memory of Queen Eleanor, the beloved wife of that glorious
52 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
monarch, who accompanied him to the Holy Land, where
her Royal Husband being stabbed with a poisoned Dagger
by a Saraycen, and the rank wound judged incurable by
Waliham Cross.
his Physicians, she, full of I>ove, Care, and Affection,
adventured her own life to save his, by sucking out the
substance of the poison, that th(> wounds being closed and
AXCIEXT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 53
citracised, he became perfectly healed." Farther on the
inscription says that roadside crosses were erected at
" Lincoln, Grantham, Stamford, Giddington, Northampton,
Stony- Stratford, Dunstable (now destroyed), St. Albans,
and this at Waltham, being the most curious in Workman-
ship, Tottenham & Westminster, now called Charing
Cross."
The words " now destroyed " are encouraging, for it
would imply that some traces of all the crosses but that at
Dunstable were to be found when this print was published.
We have seen how the burying of Chester Cross saved
it in the seventeenth century ; in the same way a foot of
earth may be hiding some of the others. "Tottenham
Cross," as already mentioned, is not an Eleanor cross.
Waltham Cross has been more often copied than any
one remaining in England; it has been excellently
imitated on a much larger scale in the Westminster
Crimean Cross, near the Abbey : perhaps the only fault
being the comparative weakness of the lower story : but it
is the best modern cross in England. From Waltham to
London, through Tottenham, the road is well known.
Cheapside Cross was demolished by order of Parliament
in 1643, but this was not the original one erected by
Edward in memory of his queen, which fell into decay,
and was supplanted by another in i486. This again
crumbled, and was rebuilt in 1600, in the Elizabethan
style. There is a well-known print of the demolishing of
Cheapside Cross, published not long after the event, and
the circumstance was satirised in the " Percy Reliques."
Charing was the last stage where the body rested. There
is a very fair engraving of the cross, — taken from a drawing
54 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
mentioned by Mr. Pennant in his last edition of " London,"
page 93, — now in the British Museum, and published in
1 8 14 by Robert Wilkinson, a London bookseller. Though
Charing Cross, from tJie Croivle Collection, British Museum.
this engraving is far from accurate, there is so much resem-
blance to the other crosses that, in all probability, it gives
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OE ENGLAND. 55
a tolerably fair idea, however faint, of the original structure.
The cross gave the name to the locality, having been
erected for the " beloved queen " [cJierc I'ciiic). The wood-
cut here given carries it out in its perfect entirety, only
altering, and that indeed very slightly, some few obvious
inaccuriicies in the details of a kind of architecture then
not reduced to precise styles, but which is now thoroughly
understood by all true architects.
V.
:E have already remarked that covered market-
crosses were simply sheltering places for
country-people who came w^ith their goods to
the nearest market-town ; and small as they
may seem to our present notions, they were amply sufficient
for the wants of their day. Religious houses were mostly
near, and as the nave of the church was open invitingly
to all comers, it afforded shelter to those who had dis-
posed in good time of their produce; the same thing
may be seen now in Catholic countries. The custom has
indeed even followed the " Habitans " of Canada across
the ocean ; these are one and all Roman Catholics, and
very simple and devout. They are descended from the
old French families who first peopled Canada, and adhere
fondly to their language and ancient traditions. There are
many roadside crosses along the lanes leading to Montreal.
It is really a pleasant sight to see the country-people
hurrying off, after selling their market-produce, either to
the old church of Bonsecours, about one hundred and
eighty years old, — a great piece of antiquity for those
regions, — or the more pretentious and really vast church
of Notre-Dame, in the French square of that city.
At one time similar scenes might be witnessed in all the
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 57
old English towns. Malmesbury must have been a very
picturesque place in the time of Leland, who visited it just
before the dissolution of the monasteries. He describes it
with great conciseness and accuracy, and thus writes of
Malniesburv JIarket- Cross.
the fine old cross that is here illustrated ; — " There is a
right faire and costly piece of worke in the market-place,
made all of stone, and curiously vaulted, for poor market
folks to stand dry when rain cometh. There be eight
58 AXCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
great pillars and eight open arches, and the work is eight
square ; one great pillar in the middle beareth up the
vault. The men of this tovvne made this piece of work
ill Iiomiiiinii iiicinoria. JMalmesbury hath a good quick
market, kept every Saturday."
On the dissolution of the monasteries, when the abbey
offices were sufficiently demolished to satisfy the spoilers,
"one Stumpe, a rich clothier,'" prevailed upon the king to
let him purchase the grand old church, which he converted,
along with the remaining offices, into a cloth-factory : and
though we might be disposed to find fault with him for the
base uses to which he put it, there can be no doubt he
saved the church for the town of JMalmesbury.
An interior view of the cross, on an enlarged scale, is
also given, showing the style of the vaulting. It was not
a covered market, which is a more recent invention, grow-
ing out of these beautiful covered market-crosses, as in the
cases of Ross and Shrewsbury, which are illustrated in
this chapter; perhaps the edifice at Shrewsbury hardly
belongs to market-crosses, though it was the immediate
result of them. The available space for standing under
cover in Malmesbury Cross is some three hundred feet, or
a little less ; there are two openings which reach to the
ground out of the eight arches.
Malmesbury had been a market-town long before the
present cross was erected. The abbot, William cle Colhern,
who died in 1296, built a market-cross there, though no
vestige of it now remains ; he also developed the resources
of the abbey with great energy, dug fish-ponds and planted
vineyards, taking care to establish a sort of founder's day
for himself and his father and mother. For this day, as it
ANCIEXr SrONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 59
annually occurred, he set a sum aside to purchase a butt
ot wine for the use of those who would pray for the rest of
his soul. His name was lon;^' and favourably remembered
Interior ]'ic7V of Malinesbury Alarket-Cross.
by many devotees; a goodly congregation might always
be calculated upon as a certainty on the anni\ersar\-. The
butt of wine he added, with much simplicity and candour,
would enable the people to pray more fervently.
6o ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OE ENGLAND.
P'ortunately, Malmesbury Cross is in an excellent state
of preservation, and Leland's description is as accurate as
any we could write at the present time, though when he
saw it in Henry VIII. "s reign the cross was one hundred
years old. It is to be regretted that there was no Catter-
mole or Prout in those days to paint the wonderfully
picturesque scenes that every portion of Malmesbury
Abbey must have presented in those curious times, when
the workmen were told off for making the various kinds of
cloth prescribed by sumptuary laws for each class of
society, all these fabrics being wrought in grand old
vaulted chambers.
The proportions of Malmesbury Cross are different from
any of the other covered market-crosses in the south. It
is remarkable for its heavy lantern, and the curious way
in which this lantern is made even to give solidity by
throwing greater weight upon the pillars, which serve in
their turn as abutments for the groining of the interior.
Many of the old buildings near the cross belonged origi-
nally to the dismantled abbey, but, in their present
character, they are changed out of all knowledge.
Chichester market-cross is the most elaborate and im-
posing in England. It would seem, by its mouldings and
general appearance, to belong to a somewhat more recent
date than Malmesbury, though if Leland's m homimivi
niemorid is to be taken in its literal, and not its figurative
sense, that cannot well be. The plan of Chichester Cross
is so nearly identical with that of Malmesbury that it has
not been considered necessary to give the latter; the only
material difference being that in Chichester all the eight
sides are open to the ground, while in jMalmesbury a low
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 6i
kind of plinth walling, on which the rustics may be seen
sitting, encloses six of its sides. Though Chichester is
more imposing, and covers more ground, jNIalmesburv is
CJiuhester Market- Cross.
much more elegant in its proportions, with the additional
advantage of being more picturesquely surrounded. Chi-
chester affords about four hundred square feet of standing
room ; this space was not generally used for farm-produce,
62 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OE ENGLAND.
which mostly came to market in covered waggons having
waterproof tops, as we still see covered carts in most rural
p^irts of England.
Chichester Cross was built by Edward Story, who was
advanced from the see of Carlisle to this more genial part
of the country by King Edward IV., in the year 1475. It
was repaired in the reign of Charles IL, by Charles, Duke
Plan of Chichcstt'i- ]\Iarkct-Cross.
of Richmond, Lennox, and Aubigny ; though perhaps there
may have been a little laxity in the disposal of the fund
left by the bishop, for he certainly bequeathed an estate of
^25 per annum to keep the cross in repair; a very ample
sum indeed, to judge of money at its then value, of which,
as before stated, there is not only much uncertainty at the
present time, but even much contradiction. The clock is
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 63
recent, and only dates back to 1724. "There is," says
Britton, speaking of this cross, '* a deg-ree of grandeur in
design and elegance of execution superior to anything of
the kind in England. The canopied arches, tracery on the
surface, sculptured cornice and frieze, with the purfled
pinnacles and flying buttresses, show both taste in the
architect and science in the mason. This cross, of course,
stands in the middle of the city, as was the proper custom
in all old market-crosses." It may seem hypercritical to
suggest a fault in such a beautiful structure, but even with
every desire to acknowledge the general excellence of the
design, we cannot but think that the story above the
octagonal space is somewhat heavy, and seems rathe^r to
have the effect of crushing down the arches on which this
beautiful cross rests. Unhappily, the surroundings of
Chichester market-cross lend it but little picturesqueness,
as the whole city has been modernised to a very consider-
able extent. Some pleasant houses are still left round the
cathedral, where church dignitaries reside, but the city in
itself is very much changed.
The next illustration, carefully reduced from a fine old
engraving, is of a market-cross at Ipswich. Unfortunately,
the cross was demolished during the present century ;
otherwise it would have formed a valuable addition to the
antiquities of England. It stood opposite to the old Town
Hall, an exceedingly picturesque building, which was
also removed a few years ago.
On the top of Ipswich market-cross stood a gigantic
figure of a female with scales, probably intended to remind
the rustics w^ho sheltered under it that they must be true
and just in all their dealings. The cross was octagonal, and
64
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
very richly and quaintly carved. The elliptical arches that
supported the roof stood on Doric columns of excellent
proportions ; the roof, ogee in form, was covered with lead.
There is a singular resemblance in the character of the
ornamentation to that of the well-known "Sparrowe's
House," in the same town, ot which Mr. Ta^dor, in his
Ip.nmch Mni-ket- Cross.
excellent guide to Ipswich, says, "The style of ornamenta-
tion, so lavishly bestowed on the exterior, is that known
as 'pargetting,' and is one not uncommon in old Suffolk
houses of about the beginning of the sixteenth or the end
of the fifteenth century." Probably this old house and the
cross were nearly contemporaneous : the former, it is
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 65
known, was built by George Copping in the year 1567, and
then this interesting city mansion fell into the hands of
the Sparrowe family, who occupied it from generation to
generation until within a few years since. The last of the
Sparrowes who resided in it was the town-clerk of Ipswich.
The cross here given would be an excellent model for
the recently projected cabmen's and carriers' sheltering-
places, which are now springing up in many towns in
England ; and should such a structure be required in
Ipswich, the present generation will have the melancholy
satisfaction of knowing that a beautiful one was dcstro3^ed
within the recollection of some persons now living. They
cannot build a more commodious one, they cannot possibly
contrive one so interesting, and they are very unlikely to
erect such a picturesque one.
The market-cross of Ross, in Herefordshire, is hardly of
the nature of a cross, but is more of a covered market-
house of modern days ; and, indeed, it will be the latest we
shall have occasion to notice. It is divided into two gables,
which cut it in two, and is open on each side ; the octa-
gonal form has become quadrangular, and there is a
hall over the market. Although the building has a
very venerable appearance, it is not in reality older than
Charles II. 's time ; there is a medallion of that monarch
on the front to the street. '
This market-place is built of soft red sandstone, very
similar to that of which Chester Cathedral is constructed ;
the stone is in a state of disintegration, and it is owing to
this circumstance that it has so venerable an appearance.
]t stands at the head of a steep, beautiful street, in a lovely
country town on the riv^er Wye, and is directly opposite to
F
66
AXC/ISXT STOXE CROSSES OF ENGLAXD.
the house of the " Man of Ross," now converted into two
shops. There is a curious monogram of the Man of Ross
on the opposite side to his old house, which tradition and
Ross Matket-HuiiSL
fervid imagination have translated into the somewhat tame
legend, " Love Charles in your heart."
Shrewsbury is familiar to nearly every one who travels
in England; it is a delightful old city, full of historical
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 67
associations. The ancient market-hall, here shown, is not
so venerable-looking a building as the one at Ross, though
considerably older ; but the stone of which it is built is
more durable. It is by far the most imposing specimen
we have left of this kind of building in England, although,
like Ross, it can perhaps hardly be called a market-cross.
Shi-ezi'sbury Market-Place.
It was built in the year 1596, and is used at the present
time on market-days, being sufficiently large for the
requirements of a town like Shrewsbury. The standing-
room for market-people is fully three hundred square
yards. A very large market has, however, been recently
erected in the vicinity in addition to this.
Shrewsbury market-house, though good in design, is
68 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
rather debased for the period, the moulding and general
ornaments being more like those of the reign of Charles I. ;
there is a curious kind of scroll along the sides, which
takes the place of battlements, and is rather heavy in
appearance. The houses round the market-square have,
in a great number of instances, been modernised, but there
are still some fine specimens of antiquity left.
There is a curious and very beautiful open octagonal
pulpit, apparently of the fourteenth century, standing in a
vacant space in Shrewsbury, which has sometimes been
taken for a preaching-cross, like Hereford ; but it is, in
reality, only part of the old abbey that has had the good
fortune to survive destruction. The High Cross of Shrews-
bury has long been destroyed, but its place is pointed out
in old documents. Unhappily, it is not connected with
pleasant associations, for before it the last of the British
princes, David, a brother of Llewellyn, was cruelly put to
death by Edward I. ; and at a later period many of the
nobility who were taken at the battle of Shrewsbury were
there executed, the High Cross being considered the
most appropriate place for such a spectacle.
At one time Shrewsbury market-place was the principal
exchange for the sales of Welsh flannels, and its extra-
ordinary size may thus be accounted for ; but, with
alterations in the way of conducting business, this advan-
tage has left it, and it is now entirely a farmers' market-
hall. It is almost needless to add that the clock in the
gable is not, as many visitors suppose, the celebrated
Shrewsbury clock to which Falstaff alludes ; that is the
clock of St. Mary's Church, on the other side of the town.
The gables of Shrewsbury market-cross are generally
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OE ENGLAND. 69
allowed to be well-proportioned, and the outline of the
structure is exceedingly picturesque ; exception may be
taken to the exceeding coarseness of the curves of the
enrichments, but this fault belongs entirely to the age in
which it was erected.
In nearly all those places where the market-crosses just
alluded to were built, there cannot be a question but that
more ancient ones preceded them ; the various accounts of
meetings at the cross, and even of legal documents being
sometimes described as executed there, would confirm this.
There are covered markets now in almost every city or
town of any importance in England. In Chester a new
and very capacious market-place has been built in what
is commonly called Northgate Square ; it joins the Town
Hall, and presents a gable only to the road, but it has
not superseded a meat-market that still stands in the
square, perfectly detached, and is only open once a week.
In York there is not even yet a covered market, but
the farmers come as of old in covered carts, and bring
their produce ; it is true, indeed, that some of the inhabi-
tants have moved for a new market, and have urged the
site to be that of the ancient parliament house and some
curious buildings at the lower end of Samson Square,
by which proceeding a fine block of old domestic archi-
tecture would be destroyed. But better counsels have
prevailed in the meantime, and let us hope that, through
the increasing interest now manifested in the question of
preserving old monuments, such desecration will not be
allowed ; for surely there is room enough in Yorkshire to
build covered markets, and yet to spare the few hundred
yards of ground whereon these old relics stand.
VI.
]HE Cross of Newark, which forms the subject
of the first illustration to this chapter, has
often been erroneously called an Eleanor Cross ;
it is apparent at a glance that it belongs to a
much later style of architecture. It was built by the
Duchess of Norfolk, who married John, Viscount Beau-
mont; he was slain at the battle of TowLon-Moor, in
Yorkshire.
That England should have been the scene of the most
fearful battle-fields seems now almost incredible ; but we
are so familiar with the vivid pictures Shakespere has
given of the wars of the Roses, that they appear, as we
read him, more real than even the comparatively recent
struggles of the Commonwealth. The great battle of
Towton,' which took place March 29, 146 1, is thus
described by Hall: — "This battle was sore fought, for
hope of life was set on side on every part, and taking of
prisoners was proclaimed as a great offence ; by reason
whereof every man determined either to conquer or to die
in the field. This deadly battle and bloody conflict con-
tinued ten hours in doubtful victory, the one part sometime
flowing and sometime ebbing ; but, in conclusion, King
Tuhvard so courageously comforted his men, refreshing" the
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OE ENGLAND. 71
weary and helping the wounded, that the other part was
discomfited and overcome, and, like men amazed, fled
toward Tadcaster bridcfe to save themselves. . . . This
Ncivark Cross.
conflict was in manner unnatural, for in it the son fought
against the father, the brother against the brother, the
nephew against the uncle, and the tenant against his
72 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
lord." Above thirty-six thousand men are computed to
have fallen in the battle and pursuit.
Shakespere, in the Third Part of King Henry VI.,
describes with his usual felicity the distressing features of
this great civil conflict. There is a son who had killed his
father without knowing him : —
" From London by the King was I press'd forth ;
My father, being the Earl of Warwick's man,
Came on the part of Yoric, press'd by his master;
And I, who at his hands received my hfe.
Have by my liands of Hfe bereaved him."
And then there follows the scene of a son killed in like
way by his father, who says —
" What stratagems, how fell, how butcherly,
Erroneous, mutinous, and unnatural,
This deadly tpiarrel daily doth beget ! —
O boy, thy father gave thee life too soon,
And hath bereft thee of thy life too late ! "
Newark, by the old roads, would be about seventy-three
miles from Towton, and here the body of Beaumont was
brought for interment, and the cross of which we are
writing was erected by his widow to his memory. It is a
valuable example of a memorial cross, as the date is
so completely fixed ; and, singularly enough, at Wake-
field there is a most beautiful chapel, built on the bridge
over the Calder, to commemorate those who fell on the
other side of the combatants. The canopy of this cross
has been restored in recent times ; in all probability it was
tabernacle-work originally. In an engraving, apparently
about ninety years old, the present canopy is not given.
The Cross of Headington, in Oxfordshire, is a fine old
specimen of fourteenth-century work. To some extent it
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 73
bears a resemblance to Newark ; but it has the advantage
of a fine base, composed of quarter-foils, which enclose a
kind of open book in the middle.
Headington Cross, Oxford,
King Edward the Confessor was born at Islip, near here,
and for some time he lived at Headington. The palace
of his father Ethelred was in the neighbourhood: its
site is believed to be in the grounds of a house called
7+ ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
the Rookery, in the vicinity. The date of Headington
Cross is uncertain ; but it is indisputable that in the
fifteenth century the kings of England had a chapel in the
royal manor of Headington, and
equally certain that the cross
was standing then. The head of
the cross is modern, and simply
a kind of rude tabernacle-work.
It belongs to the same class
of heads as that of Henley,
in Warwickshire, which was
probably a contemporaneous
structure, and another at Dela-
mere, which has only recently
been exhumed.
The head of Henley Cross is
here given ; it is very curious.
There is a most singular carving
of the crucifixion overshadowed
entirely, as it would seem, by
the Supreme Being in the act of
benediction. Perhaps there is
nothing like this in England,
nor can we recollect any similar
ancient device in any other
country. This head is borne
up by four angels at the angles,
which seem never to have been
surmounted by pinnacles.
There is a verv remarkable cross at Leighton, near
lieilford, commonly called Eeighton-Buzzard. The affix
Head of Henley Cross.
AXCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
75
of Buzzard has been considered an abbreviation of " Beau-
desart." This, we think, is a mistake. In old documents
it is spelt Bosard and Bozard, There was an old family
Lcigliton-Bitzzard Cross, Bedfordshire.
of that name in the reign of Edward I., and they appear
again in Edward III.'s time, as knights of the shire..
76 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
This cross would seem to date back to the reign of
Henry VI., so far as its mouldings and general character
may be taken as an indication. It is pentagonal in plan,
is twenty-seven feet high, on a base of five steps, with
pinnacles, fifteen heads, and niched figures ; there is a
strong central column. It was restored in 1650. Notwith-
standing all we can say in praise of the unerring skill
of mediaeval designers, any form of uneven sides is not
satisfactory; as we have before remarked, it must of
necessity throw one side out of the centre in nearly any
position from which it may be seen ; this defect is very
much more noticeable in the otherwise exquisite cross of
Geddington, one of the Eleanor crosses illustrated in a
previous chapter.
Leighton-Buzzard Cross appears to have been originally
designed for three stories, though there is no evidence that
it ever was carried out according to this plan. The abrupt
termination is very striking", giving the structure a heavy
and ungraceful appearance. If another stage be added,
the improvement will be plainly seen.
The once celebrated Cross of Abingdon, in Berkshire,
was built by the brethren of Holyrood Cross, who were a
fraternity belonging to the Abbey of Abingdon. Among
the governing body were Sir John Golafre and Thomas
Chaucer, the son of the poet ; the latter, it is generally
thought, was concerned in designing Abingdon Cross.
It has been described by Leland as " a right goodly cross
of stone, with faire degrees and imagerie," situated in the
market-place. This cross was repaired in the year 1605
by the gentry of the neighbourhood ; and an incident like
this shows that, notwithstanding the sudden reception of
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 77
a foreign style, a real admiration of genuine English
architecture was not by any means extinct. One gentle-
man subscribed the sum of ^30, a large amount in those
Abincdon Cross.
days for any such purpose. At the treaty with the Scots
in 1 64 1, a gathering of two thousand people sang the
io6th Psalm at the cross. It was a curious circumstance
7S AXCIEXT STOXE CROSSES OF ENGLAXD.
that they should select that place for this particular
ceremony, as all crosses were proclaimed idolatrous by
their preachers. Already many grand old monuments had
been senselessly swept away ; Abingdon Abbey was de-
stroyed a century before, as were many of its fellows ;
glorious relics of architecture were heaps of stones, w^hich
from that clay even to this h^^ve served to build barns and
granaries. Time has now transformed many a demolished
building into a pleasing ruin ; then, however, the breaches
were recent, and the remains uncovered with moss. But
these things did not move them. The intolerant fury
against what were called superstitious edifices, which
has destroyed so many beautiful monuments of art both
in England and Scotland, decreed the destruction of
Abingdon Cross, and it was "sawn" down by Waller's
army in 1644. Even Richard Symonds, an officer in the
Cromvvellian army, paid a tribute to its beauty.
Coventry Cross was built, it is believed, after the same
design as Abingdon ; and though the former is also de-
stroyed, we are in possession of abundant documents and
drawings to show what it was like. It is later in st3de
than Waltham, and much more fforid. Perhaps, indeed, it
cannot fairly, considering its date, be compared with that
incomparable work of art ; but it must have been very
grand when complete. Britton, in the "Antiquities of
English Cities," gives a most interesting account of it.
It was so richly gilded, that we are assured when country
people came to Coventry, they could " hardly bear to look
upon it when the sun was shining." The history of this
cross is somewhat curious. It was built at the cost of
Sir William HoUis, who made a bequest for that purpose,
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 79
himself laying the first stone. It was erected on the site
of an ancient cross, of which we have been unable to find
any record or description. The town leet of that time
were duly sensible of its worth, for they passed laws to
protect it from injury. Among these was a fine of three
shillings and fourpence for sweeping dust in the enclosure
— the cross-cheepinge as it is called — without previously
sprinkling the dust with water to prevent its rising upon
the gilded work of the cross.
The regilding of this magnificent structure, in the year
1668, used up, we are informed, 15,403 books of gold. It is
quite an unsettled question how far this mode of decoration
in the open air is consistent with High Art. It is true the
Greeks used it to a very great extent, and the Acropolis
was at one time a vast mass of coloured marble buildings.
Great allowance must be made for the climate; it is well
known that steamers plying between the INIediterranean
ports and England soon find a difference in the polish ot
the brass fittings, for there they remain bright for many
da3^s, while in Liverpool or London they become dim, if'
polished ever so carefully, after being for a few hours in
either harbour.
The cost of repairing and regilding the cross in 1668
was the large sum of ;^ 2 76 is. \d., and the articles are 3^et
in existence which confirm the agreement. The INIayor of
Coventry, in his official capacity, seems to have made the
bargain for the restoration with one John Sweyne, who
resided at Brereton, in Cheshire, and his avocation seems
to have been "stone-cutting." It seems almost incredible
that the beauty of this cross should not have preserved it
from deliberate destruction even so lately as the close
8o ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
of the last century. It was considered by the sapient
inhabitants to be behind the age, and rather in the way !
Some features of Coventry Cross are very curious ;
fortunately it is preserved in an excellent copper-plate
engraving, now not procurable, published by T. Deago, of
High Street, St. Giles's. There
were a vast number of figures
on it ; at the summit was a
statue of Justice with scales,
and on the opposite side
one of Justice with a sword.
Slightly above these was a
figure of i\lercy with an ex-
tended arm. The total height
of the cross was nearly sixty
feet.
The last cross we shall
allude to in this chapter is
Somersby, near Horncastle,
in Lincolnshire, which is
widely different in appearance
from any we have as yet con-
sidered, and, indeed, is quite
unique in England. It is
fifteen feet in height, is sur-
mounted by a triangle, em-
battled, and the top of the shaft has an embattled head.
In other respects it is a tall, graceful column, octagonal,
and springing from brooches which rest on a square
pedestal. On one side is a figure of the Virgin and
Child, and on the other is the Crucifixion.
SoDicrsby Cross.
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 8i
This cross is pleasantly situated in the churchyard of
Somersby, on the south side of the church. Whether it
is a memorial or a weeping-cross there is nothing to
determine ; nor, indeed, can we discover the date of its
erection: it may have been about 1450, judging from its
general character. The church presents few points of
interest architecturally: the living has long been in the
gift of the Burton family, who are lords of the manor.
VII.
[HERE are many crosses yet standing in England
that date back far beyond the Conquest, and
far beyond any ecclesiastical buildings, even
among those that are in ruins. These ancient
relics are most curious and instructive, reminding us how
little we know of Britain from the time the Romans left
it to the time when, under the iron sway of William of
Normandy, it was consolidated into the kingdom it has
remained to the present day. There is a long hiatus from
the Roman period to the early dawn of recorded history,
over which all the chronicles we possess cast but an
uncertain light.
In the year 398 Stilicho sent effectual aid to the Roman
colonists in Britain, who felt the loss of the legions that
were recalled for the defence of the capital ; and for awhile
they were protected against the savages of the Grampians,
and the adventurers from the Elbe and the Baltic. It
seems strange, when we contemplate such vast Roman
remains — splendid cities, villas, and roads which were not
equalled until Telford's time — that the colonists could
do so little to protect themselves against rude tribes.
Honorius tried to arouse them, but he tried in vain ; and
after sending them aid A.D. 422, he left them to their fate.
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 83
Among the emigrants that continually came from Rome
were not a few Christian converts. St. Ninian arrived as
early as about the year 350, and founded a monastery in
Galloway. jNIany others followed, and St. Columba, who
was born in Ireland in 521, landed about two centuries
after St. Ninian in the desolate dominion of the Picts, and
with twelve friends founded the monastic retreat of lona.
Now, as missionaries were sent out from these homes of
Christianity, it is easy to comprehend how forms of ancient
crosses may have been transported to various parts of
England ; yet so far we have not been successful in finding
the dates of the oldest of them.
There is a singular resemblance between the architecture
of these crosses and other remains of antiquity of which
history leaves us in the dark. The Runic sculptures have
a strikingly Eastern appearance. It may, of course, be
quite accidental, but it is a singular circumstance that the
ancient rites described by Stephens in his " Ruins of
Central America," and well delineated by him — those
mysterious and vast cities round which hard wood forest-
trees have grown, and quietly thrust up stones weighing
many tons — seem to have travelled round the globe by the
East. This ancient architecture appears in China, and on
some Pacific Islands long deserted; it is strongly developed
in Hindostan among the ancient ruins, and there are many
traces of it in the older cities of Italy, which had arrived
at a high state of civilisation long before Rome was built.
The coincidence of design is curious, but the cross at
Carew, or the Runic stone at West Kirby, might easily
pass for stones from the very farthest East.
The "old crosses" at Sandbach, in Cheshire, have long
84 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
been considered to be the most interesting and ancient
Christian relics in England. Sandbach is situated in a
Crosses at Sandbach, Cheshire.
rather uninteresting part of the county, though there are
some excellent specimens of antique architecture in the
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OE ENGLAND. 85
neighbourhood ; among which are Crewe Hall, and the
old hall at Sandbach, ntnv used as an hotel and as an
office for Lord Crewe's agents.
An excellent account of these crosses has been written
by Lysons and Ormerod. It is supposed that they were
raised on the spot where a priest from Northumberland
first preached Christianity, and that they were erected in
the eighth century. Startling as this date may seem, there
appears little reason to doubt its accuracy. The stone
they are cut from is the very hardest of the lower Silurian
formation, and seems almost to defy abrasion.
On the lower part of the east side of the higher cross is
a circle (shown in the engraving), containing what in all
probability has been correctly called the Salutation of
Elisabeth ; the figure in the centre is supposed to be from
Luke, " The power of the Highest shall overshadow thee."
Above this circle is the "Annunciation," "Behold from
henceforth all generations shall call me blessed." Above
this is a sculpture of the Crucifixion ; at the foot of the
cross are the figures of Mary, wife of Cleophas, and Mary
Magdalene ; while in singular grotesque series are the
emblems of the Four Evangelists : these are just indicated
round the intersection of the cross — that is to say, an
angel is cut for St. Matthew, a lion for St. Mark, a bull
for St. Luke, and an eagle for St. John.
There is much precision about the sculptures, and an
infinite amount of action, as in the bringing of Christ into
the judgment-hall, Pilate seated on the judgment-seat, and
the contrition of Judas — it will be remembered that Judas
repented of his treachery, and cast down the thirty pieces
of silver in the Temple, and he is here represented with his
86 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
head depressed, as showing his remorse ; above this, over
the plain blank stone, are certain figures that are said to
represent the " implements of the passion," such as ham-
mer, pincers, &;c. ; but this sculpture is much mutilated.
A local description of these singular medallions, which
is at least careful, says : — " On the west side of the cross
is a plain cross; in the lower quarters are two dread, fiend-
like animals, in the act of biting the transverse part of
it ; their tails are fretted, gnawed, and terminated with a
snake's head." This is obviously the seed of the woman
bruising the head of the serpent. Higher up is a rude
representation of the angel Gabriel appearing to Zacharias
in the Temple, who is seated on a chair, struck dumb.
Quoting the local description above alluded to, " Above
is a man walking with a club in his hand, and followed by
Simon the Cyrenian, carrying over his shoulder the cross."
Of course this may be the correct interpretation, but in
such rude sculpture there is much that is merely con-
jectural. As there are two unmistakable stars in each
panel, it would perhaps be more consistent to consider
them as the Magi : *' We have seen his star in the East,
and are come to worship him." This would be more
consecutive as to time, for the panel immediately above is
said, and perhaps correctly, to be the bringing of Christ
bound before the judgment-seat.
Another side is filled with beautiful filigree-work, not at
all inconsistent with the late Colonel Forde's theory of the
still greater antiquity of the crosses than that already
suggested. He attributes the date of their erection to the
seventh century of the Christian era. It was owing to
him that the fragments were collected and restored as far
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 87
as they have been ; he was Lord of the IVIanor of Sand-
bach, and a very accomi^lished antiquary. It is a very
singular circumstance that on a cross at Kells, in Ireland,
the sculptures of which resemble those on the large cross
at Sandbach, there are undoubted Roman knights and
horses, and a very perfect centaur, with a bow in his hand.
A.
n,
(A.) West side of large Cross.
(b.) South side.
The crosses in Ireland, it is needless to remark, are very
much more ancient than those in England.
On the north side of the large cross are a succession of
figures one over the other, and this is said to represent the
*' descent of the Holy Ghost, in the shape of cloven
tongues, to the Apostles ; they are placed in narrow cells,
in a double row from the bottom : it is remarkable to
88 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
observe that the division on which each stands is cut off
at one hand, so as not to touch the sides, leaving an
uninterrupted communication between the whole, which is
not observable in other parts." This very peculiarity,
however, would almost seem to indicate a " Jesse tree," an
ancient and favourite emblem, and the sculptures would
then represent the Holy Ghost descending in the form of a
dove, and the '* Apostles " w^ould be the row of ancestors,
" Which was the son of Heli, which was the son of
Matthat, which was the son of Levi," &c., ho..
"The north side of the small cross is divided into a
double row of cells, in each of which is a man, all in the
act of walking, some with short daggers in their hands,
others without, which in all human probability represents
Peda setting out from IMercia with all his nobility and
attendants from Northumberland to solicit the hand of
Alchfleda, King Oswy's daughter ; and on the west side is
a triple row of figures in small cells, and a tableau w^hich
is supposed to represent Peda receiving baptism. On the
south side are like figures to those on the north, all
travelling on ; but instead of daggers, they carry staves
in their hands. The version which the local description
gives of these being Peda and his attendants is most
probably correct, for Peda was the son of Penda, the King
of ISIercia, who was always at war with neighbouring
princes. He was deputed governor of the Middle Angles,
and arrived on a visit to Oswy, the King of Northumbria,
who had embraced Christianity, and sought the hand of
his daughter Alchfleda, for whom the pagan young prince
had conceived a great passion. He was allowed to marry
her on condition of his embracing the Christian faith.
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 8g
This he consents to, and returns with liis bride and some
priests to his own court, promising that the priests
should have every opportunity of preaching the Christian
religion."
The east side of the small cross is exceedingly curious,
and it is doubtful if any ingenuity of interpretation could
make anything out of it ; the events or circumstances to
which it alludes are, in all probability, not recorded in
history. There are five lozenge-like compartments, though
originally there were more, and the interstices are filled
with figures of men and animals; in the uppermost
lozenge is the figure of a bull, with his head reflected on
his back. In the top part of the next lozenge is the figure
of a man, with his hands stuck in his sides, and his feet
extended from one side of the lozenge to another. In the
base are two men endorsed. The next is partly mutilated,
but seems to have been filled in with something of the
reptile kind ; and in the next two are men with clubs in
their hands. The whole of the subjects on this side are
enclosed in a curious fretted margin, laced and indented,
but of exquisite design and workmanship.
It is uncertain when these crosses were mutilated, but
great violence has been necessary to pull them down, for
the large cross in its fall has torn away a great part of the
socket-stone in which it had been firmly fixed, on the
opposite side from that on which it fell ; the bottom part
was split with wedges, and long served to protect the
sides of a neighbouring well, while other fragments of this
truly interesting relic were used as doorsteps and guards
for the corners of walls : some parts were taken to Oulton
Park, the seat of Sir Philip de Malpas Egerton, where
90 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
they served to adorn a grotto. The restoration of these
relics was entrusted to Mr. Palmer, of ]\Ianchester, and he
had the valuable assistance of Mr. Ormerod, of Sedbury
Park, the author of the " History of Cheshire."
It may be remarked that the whole of the groups in the
larger cross are from Scriptural subjects, while those in
Jona, Scotland.
the smaller one relate most probably to secular history,
much of which must for ever remain unknown, as in all
probability the events portrayed in the panels are not
preserved in any history, and these rude old sculptures
are the only record left. They were originally terminated
by a form of cross and circle, similar to those in Scotland
or in Ireland, but these have long been destroyed : never-
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OE ENGLAND. qi
theless they arc must interesting and well-preserved
relics of antiquity.
]\Iuch similarity of character will be observed between
Aloiiastcrhoice, Louth.
the crosses of Sandbach and those of lona, in Scotland,
and Monasterboice, in the county ot Louth, both of which
92 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
are here shown for the sake of comparison. When
Boswell and Johnson visited the ruins of Ion a, the former
was much disappointed with the rude remains, — having"
pictured to himself sculptures hardl}^, if at all, inferior to
those of Westminster* Abbey, — and expressed his surprise
to his companion, who made the Avell-known rejoinder :
" We are treading now the illustrious island which was
once the luminary of the Caledonian regions, whence
^
Incised Slabs, Chester Catliedral.
savage clans and roving barbarians first derived the
blessings of religion. Whatever withdraws us from the
power of our senses, whatever makes the past, the distant,
or the future predominate over the present, advances us
in the dignity of thinking beings."
The monastery of lona was at one time a splendid seat
of learning, whence priests were sent out into all parts of
the world, and where in their pilgrimages they met with
AXCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 93
brethren from the south on their travels to the north ; and
thus, while a distinctive character is maintained in the
crosses they caused to be erected, there is yet a similarity.
Bromhoro L 'ro.
and in some there is a nondescript character (if indeed
such a word can be applied to any one branch of their
quaint architecture beyond any other part) that would
9+ AXCIEXT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
almost seem to point to the joint design of northern and
southern monks.
Sculptured crosses, and sometimes incised slabs, were
placed over the graves of ecclesiastics from very ancient
times, and two recent ones, probably about a.d. 1350,
which have been brought to light in the restoration ol
Chester Cathedral, are shown on page 92.
At one time it is said a Runic cross stood in the village
of Bromboro, in the hundred of Wirral, in Cheshire ; but
the only cross that is now standing was built about the
year 1400. It is in a very pleasant English-looking
village, on the high road between Liverpool and Chester.
One remarkable feature in it is the high flight of steps,
all of which have very small treads. The upper portion
of the cross has been taken away, and a very unsightly
sundial substituted, with a large round ball over it. It is
in good repair, and might be restored to something like
its original form without great exjoense.
VIII.
jT was not possible to conclude the more ancient
forms of crosses in one chapter; indeed, they
might be continued almost indefinitely, for in
Cornwall, and some parts of Devon and Wales,
they are very numerous. The Sandbach crosses seem
at first to be curious isolated memorials, and they are
all the more interesting from there being so very little
that resembles them in that part of England ; on this
account some very curious Runic crosses which have been
discovered at West Kirby are worthy of note. True it is,
this place is forty miles away, but in the same county.
The class of sculpture, though common in Scotland and
Ireland, and not unknown in the Isle of Man, is rare
in England, as has already been noticed. It would seem
not to be without connecting links, however, for opposite
to the West Kirby Cross was Hilbre Island, at the mouth
of the Dee, easily approached at low water over the
celebrated Dee Sands, that have so often proved fatal to
wayfarers when overtaken by the rising tide. On this
island, which is now only inhabited by a lighthouse-
keeper, there was at one time a cell of Cistercian monks
in connection with Chester Cathedral ; traces of it have
been recently discovered. A red sandstone cross of
96 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
Eastern character, with a ribbon moulding, was found
here ; it appears to be a little later than the one at West
Kirby. ]\Ir. Eckroyd vSmith, speaking of it, says: "The
cross is similar in design to several found in Ireland and
the Isle of Man, except in its circular border, which
closely resembles the Greek mcandros, and is of rare
occurrence, as we have only been able to discover it, but
associated w4th other details, upon the following crosses,
all situate in the Isle of Man, viz., Ballaugh Churchyard,
with Runes ; Kirkandrew's Green, at the church gates ;
garden of the Vicarage, Jurby." A sepulchral stone,
evidently of a date anterior to the Norman Conquest, was
found on the island, in what was certainly at one time a
graveyard ; the style corresponds very materially with
the cross above described.
The parish of West Kirby is situated in the north-west
part of Cheshire, and contained two churches — one the
parish-church, and the other a chapel of ease upon St.
Hildeburgh's Eye, as it is called in old documents ; singu-
larly enough, all mention of it is omitted in Domesday
Book ; indeed, our information of it is derived from the
charters of vSt. Werburgh, in Chester, and it is from this
source that Ormerod principally quotes.
The remains of the Runic cross here engraved were
found on the banks of the estuary of the Dee, and were
only disembedded recently, during some repairs to the
venerable church. The two fragments formed part of the
shaft. Mr. Eckroyd Smith, speaking of this relic, says :
"It belongs to a class of sculptured remains which, though
of not unfrequent occurrence in Scotland and Ireland, are
rare in England. Upon each of the four sides, complete
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 97
or fragmentary, appears a Runic knot or braid ; two of
them are so badly chipped that the ornament is hardly
recognisable, but their fellows display varieties of the
Runic interlacing work of great variety." In Dr. Stuart's
excellent book on the " Early S^culptured Stones of
Scotland and the North of England," there does not
appear to be any stone presenting the varieties of those
given here.
Remains of Runic Cross, West Kirhy, Cheshire.
It is not a little singular that in the immediate vicinity
of this cross was found a magnesian limestone lintel five
and a half feet in length, and sculptured with the same
kind of interlaced work as the Christian relic ; there is
hardly a doubt that these two interesting remains belonged
to some old temple of which all record has long since
perished.
The late Mr. Gilbert French wrote an elaborate article
to show that these twisted Runic designs weje simply the
TI
y8 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
attempt to imitate in stone the osier-work of our Scandi-
navian ancestry; but the reasoning is perhaps hardly
cogent, though the theory is now commonly adopted. It
will be remarked that the angles of these stones are cordedy
which is uncommon in contemporary remains.
- ^>f-^%*vti ^^^^
Eyam Cross, Derbyshire.
The next example we shall notice is that at Eyam, in
Derbyshire, which is an old Saxon cross of excellent pro-
portions, situated in the graveyard of the parish church.
It is in a good state of preservation, and, like that of
Bakewell, is a very perfect example of the period in which
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 99
it was built. There are five elegant scrolls cut upon the
front of the shaft in relief, and in the middle of these is a
trefoiled leaf. A slender spray also is cut over the volute,
terminating in a similar trefoiled leafwork. The curves
of the foliage bear some resemblance to Roman work, and
whatever may be the date, there is no doubt they have
been copied from Roman scrolls.
Eyam is a village on the Peak, not very far from
Bakewell; and in 1757, in digging a grave near the fine
old cross, three out of five men were struck with a remark-
able illness, closely resembling the plague of 1666, and
died. The fact led to curious speculation, for this village
was attacked by the plague, which was supposed to have
been brought from London in a box of clothes. Mompes-
son, the rector of the parish, devoted himself with great
courage to stay its progress. He lies buried only a few
feet from the cross. This interesting relic lay in pieces in
a corner of the churchyard when John Howard, the phi-
lanthropist, had it restored to its present site.
Bakewell Cross strongly resembles Eyam, but the scroll-
work is not so graceful ; it is also in the churchyard, and
is much more ancient than the church, though the latter
contains some fine Norman work. The town of Bakewell
is delightfully situated in the vale between Matlock and
Buxton, and its other attractions overshadow the cross.
Carew Cross, which is situated in a remarkably pictu-
resque part of Pembroke, differs very materially from
either of the above-mentioned, and more closely resembles
the Eastern relics we have spoken of. The interlaced
work is identical with many examples in Ireland, Scot-
land, and the Isle of Man ; its exact counterpart may be
loo AXCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
found in old specimens of metal-work, or carvings from
Cairo or Rosetta, also in the interesting ruins of Central
America. This cross stands about fourteen feet high, and
is a monolith. There are characters upon it which have
not hitherto been deciphered.
Cross in Bakewell Churchyard (East Side).
Carew Cross greatly resembles the cross in Nevern
churchyard, and indeed all the remarks upon the former
would apply to the latter, which forms the subject of a
woodcut. The upper part of the Nevern cross might easily
be mistaken for Chinese or Hindostan work, and the lower
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. loi
consists of the interlacing common to many half-civilised
nations. The date of these two crosses is uncertain.
The crosses in Cornwall are formed of granite or serpen-
tine— trappean rocks that seem to have been formed out of
Cross in Nevern Churchyard, Pembroke.
the debris of volcanoes, such as dust and ashes. Most of
these rocks are formed under water, are exceedingly hard,
and in consequence but little changed.
The Cornish Britons remained separate from the Saxons
down to the time of the Norman conquest, when their
.02 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OE ENGLAND.
lands were appropriated by the Norman chiefs, though
their monuments remained almost undisturbed.
Hugh de Poyens, the first superior of the Knights
Templars, visited England A.D. 1128, and many grants of
land were made to that fraternity in the county of Corn-
wall. At the breaking out of the Crusade the Pope
granted the Templars the symbol of martyrdom — the
blood-red cross ; the Knights of St. John bore a cross of
the same form, but of course black and white, and they,
as well as the Templars, held lands in Cornwall, which
will account probably for this particular form of cross.
Cornish crosses are very numerous ; they are found by
the road-sides, in churchyards, and at nearly all old cross-
roads, though many have been removed. The Puritans
seem to have but little troubled this part of England,
and the regret is the more that there are so few archi-
tectural examples left ; for this circumstance, added to
the imperishable nature of the material of which they
are built, would have preserved them to us. Only two
examples are here given, though they might be multiplied
indefinitely. One of these is the well-known Eour-hole
Cross, and the other is from Forraberry.
An excellent representation of Llanhorne Cross appears
in Blight's " Cornish Antiquities." This is a Runic cross,
and is a specimen of a small class which may be seen in a
few parts of Cornwall and Devonshire.
vSt. Mawgan's Cross, given on p. 104, is very elaborate ;
and there is a legend that has not yet been satisfactorily
deciphered. The tabernacle part of this cross consists of
a representation of the Crucifixion on one side, and figures
of saints on the others ; it would almost seem to stand on
ANCIEXr STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 103
a shaft that has at some time been shortened. The base
on which it rests is evidently one of the old Cornish
pedestals. The age of this tabernacle is about five
hundred years.
In Blight's "Cornwall" there is a drawing of Llanteglos
Cross, a curious feature of which is that the enrichments
are let in with different coloured stone. This cross was
Cor 12 is h Crosses.
Four-hole Cross. Forrnberry.
found in a trench that ran round the old church, and was
re-erected on its present site. There are two canopied
niches on the broadest sides with the usual Virgin and
Child, and also the Crucifixion ; and on the narrower sides
are the figures of St. Peter and St. Paul.
Cornwall abounds with interesting, though not pic-
turesque, monuments of early Christianity. At St. Roche,
on a wild and almost inaccessible rock, is a recluse's cell,
104 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
and the remains of a cross, which are very difficult indeed
to reach. Such places are doubtless the cells of recluses
who have made up their minds to live in spots the most
difficult of access, in order to devote themselves more
undisturbedly to their meditations. In some places crosses
have been let into old stone walls, and are hardly to be
noticed by an ordinary passer-by.
St. Mawgaii's Cross, Corn-wall.
To a very early period indeed belongs the cross known
as Sueno Pillar, near Forres, Elgin. It is a most remark-
able block of granite, of which no history is left ; but it so
closely resembles the stones of Nineveh that it might well
be mistaken for a relic from that country. This great
stone is twenty feet high and nearly four feet at the base;
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 105
and in confirmation of the conjectures which have been
hazarded as to the Eastern character of this and other
ancient sculptures in our land, it is curious to remark that
on the top of this great pillar is the figure of an elephant.
The sculptures are cut in a most singular manner : there
are men and horses in military array, and in warlike
attitude ; some seem to be holding up their shields in
exultation, and others are joining hands in friendship, or
as some token of fidelity. Then there is a fight and a
massacre of the prisoners, and the dead are laid in perfect
order, just as is seen on Asiatic sculptures of great
antiquity. The arrangement of the men also, and of the
knights, seems to be pretty conclusive that the figures do
not represent any tribes that inhabited those parts at the
time it was erected. On the other side of this remarkable
monument is a large cross with persons apparently in
authority in conference. It has been held that all this
represents a scene in Scottish history, and is the expulsion
from Scotland of some Scandinavians who had long
infested the northern parts, about the promontory of
Burghead, and had. lived on " the fat of the land ; " but
this is hardly a tenable theory. The name Sueno which
the cross bears is also said to be that of a king of Norway
who made peace with Malcolm II., King of Scotland.
The cross, however, denotes a Christian period, and as
such we can have no hesitation in introducing it.
IX.
jlKE the common opinion that Shakspere has
only been recently appreciated, and was of no
account in his own times, is the idea that
English architecture has only just now been
valued at its proper worth. It is of no avail, apparently,
that these errors are extinguished to-day, they revive
to-morrow. There can be no doubt that numbers of
educated men saw with dismay the destruction of crosses
and other ancient monuments ; so that, in fact, the real
appreciation of the excellences of English art never quite
died out. In Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, and Somerset-
shire, there are not fewer than two hundred crosses and
remains of crosses. Most probably the examples given
comprise all the more remarkable of them, but it is with
satisfaction we see so large a number partially, at least,
preserved.
A curious dialogue, written by Henry Peacham, between
the crosses of Charing and Cheap, describes them as "fear-
ing their fall in these uncertaine times," which, indeed,
was only two years before the general order was issued for
the destruction of crosses. There is a curious recipe for
marble cement in it : Charing Cross is made to say, " I am
all of white marble (which is not perceived of every one).
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 107
and so cemented with mortar made of the purest lime,
Callis sand, whites of eggs, and the strongest wort, that I
defy all hatchets and hammers whatsoever." vStill, at the
destruction of monasteries, when such glories of archi-
tecture were destroyed, it was not likely that Charing
Cross, with its white marble, should escape covetous eyes :
" In Henry VIII. time I was begged, and should have been
degraded for that I had ; then in Edward the Sixe, when
Somerset House was building, I was in danger ; after
that, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, one of her footmen
had like to have run away with me ; but the greatest
danger of all I was in, when I quaked for fear, was in the
reign of King James, for I was eight times begged : —
part of me was bespoken to make a kitchen chimney for a
chefe constable in Shoreditch ; an inn-keeper in Holborn
had bargained for as much of me as would make two
troughs, one to stand under a pumpe to water his guests'
horses, the other to give his swine their meate in ; the
rest of my poore carcase should have been carried I know
not whither to the repaire of a decayed old stone bridge
(as I am told) on the top of Harrow Hill. Our royal fore-
father and founder, you know, King Edward the First,
built our sister crosses — Lincolne, Granthame," Woborne,
Northampton, Stonie Stratford, Dunstable, Saint Albans,
and ourselves here in London, in the 21st year of his
reigne, in the year 1289." The omission in this list of
Waltham Cross, the last before the procession reached
London, is curious.
The plaintive recollections of Cheapside Cross are ex-
ceedingly valuable, as they show that reverence for anti-
quity was strong in the time of Elizabeth ; indeed, the
io8 AXCIE.YT STOXE CROSSES OF EXGLAND.
intemperate zeal exhibited in destroying carved work only
culminated in the century after she began to reign. Cheap-
side Cross is made to say : —
" After this most valuable and excellent king had built
me in forme, answerable in beauty and proportion to the
rest, I fell to decay, at which time John Hatherly, maior of
London, having first obtained a license of King Henry the
Sixt, anno 1441, I was repaired in a beautiful manner.
John Fisher, a mercer, after that gave 600 marks to my
new erecting or building, which was finished anno 1484 ;
and after, in the second year of Henry the Eight, I was
gilded over against the coming in of Charles the Fift.
Emperor ; and newly then gilded against the coronation
of King Edward the Sixt. ; and gilded againe anno 1554,
against the coronation of King Philip. Lord how often
have I been presented by juries of the quest for incumber-
ance of the street and hindring of cartes and carriages, yet
I have kept my standing : I shall never forget how, upon
the 2ist of June, anno 1581, my lower statues were in the
night pulled and rent down, as in the resurrection of
Christ, the image of the Virgin IMary, Edward the Con-
fessor, and the rest. Then arose many divisions and new-
sects formerly unheard of, as ]\Iartin Marprelate, alias
Pewin, Browne, and sundry others, as the Chronicle will
inform you. My crosse should have been taken quite
away, and a Piraniid erected in the place, but Queen
Elizabeth (that Queen of blessed memory) commanded
some of her privie councill, in her Majesties name, to
write unto Sir Nicholas Merely, then maior, to have. me
again repaired with a crosse : yet for all this I stood bare
for a yeare or two after. Her Highness being very angry.
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 109
sent expresse worde she would not endure their contemp,
but expressly commanded the cross to be set up, and sent
a strict command to Sir William Rider, Lord Maior, and
bade him respect my a/ifiqiii/\\" Sec.
The above is a graphic, and no doubt very accurate,
description of the treatment of ancient monuments in the
past without iconoclastic decrees. At the present time,
even, venerable half-timbered structures are remorselessly
demolished to make way for new premises. It seems very
disgraceful that buildings which have stood for centuries,
and are still in good condition, should be sacrificed to
so-called modern improvements. In most instances they
might be adapted, without much difficulty, to the mercan-
tile exigences of the times ; at any rate, space might be
found without destroying the now-diminishing number
of ancient remains. There can be no doubt that the
discussion of this subject will assist the hands of the
Government Commission appointed to protect monu-
mental antiquities, and possibly enable them to embrace
a wider range in their excellent work.
Cheddar is situated in a deep gorge of the Mendip hills,
and is not surpassed in beauty of situation by any village
in England. The " Parliamentary Gazetteer " thus de-
scribes it : — ".The ravine is narrow, and the cliffs on each
side ascend abruptly to the height of many hundred feet.
Some portions of the Cheddar cliffs remind one of a lofty
Gothic structure, the action of the elements having worn
the rock into niches and columns ; and the loft}' summits
of stone, without much exercise of imagination, seem to
assume the appearance of turrets and spires. Immense
numbers of jackdaws are constantly flying about the
no AXCIEXT STOXE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
middle and upper sections of the cliffs ; hawks too of
various kinds make their aeries in these rocky fastnesses ;
and the visitor to this sublime scenery may constantly
witness them sailing on steady wing in mid-air in all the
i 'iirddar C'/vss.
security of an uninhabited region." Tlie church, shown
in the engraving, is supposed to have been built about
1400, and has a sculptured stone pulpit. The cross is a
curious instance of altered design.
It will be noticed, on reference to the plan, that it was
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. in
at first intended to build a hexagonal structure, and the
steps are cut in that form ; but on arriving at the top one,
from which the cross springs, the designer fitted in an
octagon base, and that too not perhaps in a very artistic
manner. The general appearance of the cross, however,
is picturesque, though it has no architectural attractions
to recommend it. Formerly it was simply a vilhige high-
b
1
Plan of Cheddar Cross.
cross, like many others ; it is on record that it was
surmounted with a large tabernacle, in which were figures.
Round Cheddar Cross a heavy stone canopy has been
built, apparently in the reign of Henry VII I. A curious
feature in this addition is its scantiness, for there is only
one foot between the piers of the canopy and the steps of
the cross. The smallness of the accommodation would
seem to indicate that it must have been a preaching-cross,
112 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
for not a dozen market-baskets could find shelter beneath
it. From its steps on summer evenings, notwithstanding
its proximity to the church, the preacher would doubtless
frequently address a congregation and lead the hymn.
The cross stands at the junction of three roads, at the
entrance to the village. With every desire to appreciate
the merits of ancient design, one is compelled to admit
that the structure is more interesting and curious than
beautiful. Britton thus speaks of it in his somewhat rare
work on the *' Antiquities of England :" —
" This shattered cross at Cheddar seems to have been
constructed at two different periods, as the central column
constitutes one of those crosses that had merely a single
shaft raised on steps. The lateral piers, with the roof,
were probably erected at a later period, to shelter those
persons who frequented the market. Bishop Joceline
obtained a charter from Henry III., igth year of his
reign, to hold a weekly market here ; but this has been
discontinued some years. The present cross is of a
hexagonal shape, has an embattled parapet, and the
upper portion is ornamented \vith a sort of sculptured
bandage."
•v Although there may be something rather disappointing
about Cheddar Cross when its great fame is considered,
we ought to be only too grateful for its preservation. At
Chipping Campden, in the northern part of Gloucestershire,
is a somewhat similar structure, built apparently about the
same time. It stands in a picturesque old English town,
formerly of some note in the county, but now almost in
decay. The word Chipping — from the Anglo-Saxon word
ceapan, to buy — mostly indicates a place of merchandise,
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 1 1 3
which would necessarily have a market-place and cross.
Chipping Campden was a great mart for wool.
The town of Shepton-AIallet is situated about twelve
miles to the east of Cheddar. Wells lies between them, and
is one of the most perfect examples of an ancient city in
England. The Bishop's Palace is moated, with a draw-
bridge, and is a fine example of an old English castellated
building. Three wells overflow in the grounds and form a
little lake, which is surrounded with very beautiful trees ;
over these rise the grey towers and pinnacles of the
cathedral, built apparently in the middle of the thirteenth
century; the whole being mirrored in the lake below.
Perhaps there is no more impressive scene in England.
Here Bishop Ken wrote the Morning and Evening Hymns.
Shepton-Mallet Cross is a remarkably fine structure, as
will be seen from the engraving, and, like Cheddar, it has
been built round a high-cross of earlier style. It is well
situated in the market-place, and is certainly the most
striking cross remaining in England, excepting perhaps
Chichester, to which in some respects it is superior. It
was built in the year 1505, by Walter Buckland and Agnes
his wife. The original intention seems to have been to
erect a high-cross, somewhat like those at (jloucester and
Bristol, but it appears to have occurred that its utility
might be increased by a canopy for shelter. Leading from
the market-place is a narrow street, with substantial
houses and shops, which opens up a fine view of the
Mendip Hills. ]\Iany celebrated characters have been born
in Shepton-Mallet, among others Simon Browne, a dis-
senting minister, who wrote against Tindal, and was born
in 1680. He was a man of very great learning; but some
I
114 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
years before his death, in 1732, he entertained and ex-
pounded the curious idea that he had no rational soul, but
was merely an unconscious atom. Perhaps his contempo-
raries have unfairly stated his views, but such they are
Sliepton-Malld C
said to be. His memory is yet fresh in those parts, and
so also are some of his curious ideas. He never would say
grace before dinner, unless very much pressed, because
he said it was expecting a miracle.
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 115
Glastonbury is one of the few towns in England that
have preserved an ancient character, even in spite of many
and destructive changes ; like Malmesbury, the grand old
monastic buildings have quite incorporated themselves
in the houses of the town, and, happily, much of the old
monastic architecture remains. Here, as tradition tells
us, Joseph of Arimathea rested on his way to preach the
gospel to the British, and while wearied in his ascent of
the hill he drove his staff into the ground, which is said to
have taken root and ever since to blossom at Christmas
time — at least, so say the guide-books. It is beyond doubt
that a very fine old thorn does grow there, and probably
it blooms early, which, from my own knowledge, is all I
can affirm.
Glastonbury Old Cross was a quaint, though perhaps
not very pleasing structure. Until a comparatively recent
date it was in a good state of preservation, and harmo-
nised extremely well with its surroundings. The whole
town is a series of old associations, and it may not be out
of place to quote a description of it from the pen of a local
antiquary : — '* We have hardly left behind us the flats that
surround and nearly insulate the town (whence the old
British name of Glassy Island), and ascend the eminence
upon which it stands, before we perceive that almost every
other building has either been constructed in modern
times, quarried from the stone of the ruins, or is a direct
remain of the architecture of the monastery from whence it
is derived. The George Inn is not one of these ; it
preserves its old character ; it was from the earliest times
a house of accommodation for the pilgrims and others
visiting Glastonbury."
ii6 AN'CIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
This old cross is so curious and so singular in the
distribution of its gables that a sketch is here given..
Britton says, *' Glastonbury Cross, though a large and
extremely curious structure, is hardly noticed in the topo-
(r/asfonbtny Old Cross.
graphic annals of this county ; its history is therefore
perhaps entirely lost." Unfortunately, the building itself
also is now lost, for after Britton wrote it fell into decay
and neglect, and many stones were carried away for
modern edifices. " There is something peculiarly unique,"
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 117
he cadds, " in the shape and ornaments of the building. A
Glastonbury New Cross.
large column in the centre, running through the roof, and
terminated with a naked figure, clustered columns at each
1 1 8 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
angle, with odd capitals, bases, &c., and pinnacles of
unusual shape, all unite to constitute this one of the
eccentricities of ancient building. From the time of the
Norman Conquest to the dissolution of English monas-
teries, the varied and progressive styles of architecture
are satisfactorily defined, and a very general uniformity
prevails in all the buildings of a particular period ; but
the specimen before us differs from any example I ever
met with. Hearne, in his * History of Glastonbury,'
Camden, Willis, and Stevens, are all silent regarding this
building." There was a mutilated inscription, dated 1604,
upon it, and also a shield with the arms of Richard Beere,
the last abbot but one, who died in 1524 ; it would almost
seem that an inveterate spirit of punning had even reached
the sacred precincts of the armorial bearings, for, in
allusion to his name, as would seem, there are two cups
with a cross between. There was a conduit at one corner
with a trough, and this added greatly to the picturesque-
ness of the scene.
The present Glastonbury Cross is not unlike the copy of
the ancient Bristol high-cross at Stour Head, or the de-
molished one at Gloucester, both of v/hich will form the
subjects of the next chapter. Statues are wanting to
complete the outline, but the structure is pleasing, and it
is well situated.
X.
HE history of Bristol high-cross is interesting
and somewhat sad. It was built in 1373,
according to some accounts, and according to
others in 1247. A passage in a MS. calendar
thus refers to it: — "Anno 1247. Now that the bridges
went happily forward, the townsmen on this side of Avon
and those of Redcliffe were incorporated, and became one
town, which before was two, and the two places of market
brought to one, viz., that at Redcliffe side being kept at
Temple Cross, or Stallege Cross, and also that from the old
market near Lawford's Gate, both being made one, were
kept where now it is, and a faire cross there built, viz., the
High Cross, which is beautiful with the statues of several
of our kings." Mr. Poole, in an excellent little work on
Bristol Cross, says : " It is difficult to account for this
discrepancy of dates otherwise than by supposing that
either the calendars are not trustworthy records (and the
fact that the pen of Chatterton was known to touch some
of them renders their unqualified acceptance as historical
documents anything but easy), or else the rebuilding of
the cross in 1373 consisted in certain additions and embel-
lishments, the rest of the high cross, with the statues of
the kings, remaining as it was before." One thing, how-
120 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
ever, is certain — the architecture of the present cross
belongs to the period last named, and probably it was a
totally ncAV structure at that time. Originally this cross
was richly coloured, the colours consisting of blue, gold,
and vermilion. It was built of a coarse-grained joolite,
very liable to absorb moisture, but the polychromatic
colouring preserved it for centuries. A lesson on the
restoration of churches might be gathered from this fact ;
many fine old walls that are re-cased might be allowed to
stand, if a proper colourless solution were applied to bind
up the crumbling particles. It is in the nature of oolite
and sandstone to disintegrate, and this process might be
stopped.
Bristol Cross consisted of a series of niches with cano-
pies of great beauty, which formerly contained statues of
English kings ; in 1633 the citizens raised the cross in the
same style of architecture, and added the statues of three
more kings and Queen Elizabeth. The cross was also
enclosed in an iron railing, and repainted and gilded ; but
evil days were before it.
In 1733 a silversmith who lived near it made affidavit
that in every high wind this old structure — which might
have lasted for centuries if left alone — rocked so much
that his house and his own valuable life were in danger if
the cross fell towards him ; so he procured its removal,
and it was thrown into the Guildhall as a thing of no
importance, where it lay for a long time, until Alderman
Price and a few gentlemen had it re-erected on College
Gr^en, opposite the cathedral. Here it remained for
some thirty years, until a Mr. Campion, a gentleman
apparently of great public spirit, discovered that it stood
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 121
in the way of a walk, and opened a subscription list to
have it removed ! The cross was again rudely pulled
down and thrown into a corner of the cathedral, until
Bristol Cross.
Dean Barton gave it to Sir Richard Colt Hoare, who
erected it most appreciatively in his park at Stour Head.
Bristol New Cross is a copy of the old one, excepting
that the upper part is divested of the Carolian ornaments.
122 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
which gives it an incongruous appearance ; the canopy
also seems rather too high for the rest of the structure.
The remarks of ]\Ir. Norton, the architect, on the com-
pletion of the structure, are very sensible, in alluding to
the absence of sculptured figures. " Leaving out of the
question," he says, " the public duty to replace these
statues, I must point out to you aesthetically how pecu-
liarly unmeaning the structure now is. I know no work
of architecture so specially needing the aid of the sister
art of sculpture. The addition of the figures can alone
produce harmony of general effect ; and with these, both
the architectural shell and the canopied statues, would
communicate to each other a borrowed aid, and thus vivify
that which is now a tame and insipid work."
We have just recorded the vicissitudes in the history of
Bristol Cross, unhappily a sadder fate awaited the sister-
cross of Gloucester: an act was passed in 1749 for taking
down some buildings, and enlarging the streets of the
city ; as this cross stood on a site which the corporation of
the period desired, a decree went forth to demolish it,
and it was pulled down so lately as 1750. There is not,
as far as we could learn, any record of the uses to which
the fragments were appropriated, every trace has gone;
and yet the cross was demolished but within thirteen
years of the birth of the accomplished Lysons, to whom
antiquarians in England owe so much ; it was situated
within two miles of his family-seat.
Gloucester Cross — in a note on a very excellent print by
Vertue — is said to have been erected in the reign of
Richard III.," and his statue was among those demolished ;
but it is probably older : the style of canopy, as far as it
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 123
can be gathered from Vertue's print, belongs to the reign
of Edward 111. There were also statues of earlier kings
Gloucester Cross.
than Richard III., viz. John, Richard II., Henry III., and
Edward III. These figures were, as far as can be judged
from the old print, very excellent works of art, and it is
12+ ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
surprising that even they were not preserved. The houses
round the cross were good specimens of ancient domestic
architecture, and much resembled the older ones now
standing in Chester. The statue of Richard III. would
have been very interesting had it been preserved ; and,
perhaps, it would have solved some of the theories as to
his physical deformity or otherwise : according to the
excellent print from which this is taken, his figure is
rather short than misshapen. The pedestals on which the
monarchs are standing have evidently been much misre-
presented in the engraving by Vertue, which is, generally
speaking, a very excellent work of art ; they have been
drawn as though they were rough uncut stones, but in all
probability they were fine old carved corbels that had
become weatherworn out of all sort of recognition.
Of course the upper part of the cross is modern, not
older than Charles L, and there were formerly the inevit-
able little flags on slight iron stems, that look so very
meagre, and are seen in the prints of Coventry Cross, and
others that have been restored since the Reformation.
Besides the kings there were statues of Queen Eleanor
and Queen Elizabeth. The latter, and that of Charles I.,
were probably erected in the place of some others that
had fallen into decay. The height of this cross, as
measured by Mr. Thomas Ricketts, to whom we are in-
debted for the sketch from which the engraving by Vertue
is taken, was 34 feet 6 inches ; but probably, or indeed
certainly, there was another story, which, with the spiral
termination, would have made its height some 50 feet.
From the steps of both these crosses all proclamations
were read to the people. Bristol Cross was situated in
AXCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 125
High Street, and Gloucester Cross at the junction of
Southgate Street, Northgate Street, and Westgate Street.
Oakley Grove, near Cirencester, is the beautiful seat of
the Earls Bathurst ; the mansion is only a short distance
from the town, and bears obvious marks of the architecture
which prevailed during the early reign of the House of
Hanover. In the park is the celebrated market-cross of
Cirencester, which stood in the lesser market-place. On
the base is some ornamental panelling; the shaft is
octangular and about 13 feet high ; round the capital
were four shields of arms, now nearly obliterated. There
are two steps and a fine square base to this cross. Each
side of the base has four trefoiled panels, with quatrefoils
over. The shaft rises abruptly from the base, and is well
proportioned, though it may have been originally some-
what higher.
Cirencester Cross is probably the successor of a much
more ancient one, or perhaps more than one. The town
itself is full of interest ; many ancient Roman statuettes
have been found in subsoil ploughing in the neighbour-
hood. A rather amusing story is told by Camden. In the
year 1731 a fine bronze was found near the cross, and the
workman who discovered it parted with it to a gentleman
who was to pay according to the value he received for it:
he gave the finder £20, but he himself had managed to
realise ^150. It was of course well sold at this sum, and
the finder in receiving his £20 did probably much better
than he could have otherwise done, but he looked upon
himself as badly treated. The bronze was a Cupid, weigh-
ing about 1 1 lbs. ; the eyes were of silver, but the pupils
were gone, and the discoverer had the ground carefully
126 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
sifted over and over again for these, as he was perfectly
sure they were diamonds ; unfortunately, however, his
first treasure-trove was his last.
Cirencester is in the middle of one of the most interest-
ing parts of England, and perhaps one of the most
Cirencester Cross.
beautiful ; there are also remains, or at any rate traditions,
of so many splendid crosses as would now astonish us
could we only see them as they were. The wealth of
design and the beautiful forms that have been lost to us
when these relics were destroyed will never be known.
There are crosses still standing near the town, at Ashton
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 127
Keynes, Cricklade, and various other places; of some of
these engravings will hereafter be given, and some only
described.
Not far from Cirencester is Ampney Crucis ; it is situated
on the Fairford road, about two miles from the town. The
cross is in the churchyard, and has some very pleasing
features. The tabernacle at the top part is more solid
than usual, and there is a kind of dog-kennel roof on a
slight curve. The shaft rises octagonally and very boldly
from two large square steps and a set-oif. This was pro-
bably an example of the "weeping-cross," or place to
which penitents resorted to bemoan over their short-
comings. This is not apparently a very uncommon or
even very uncongenial pursuit with many devotees ; for
up to the present day Jews go every week to the walls
of the Temple, and lament over its destruction. It is
almost impossible not to connect these weeping-crosses in
some way with old Jewish customs ; there are many of
them still left in England, and the name clings to them.
One thing is certain, that the old habits of weeping and
wailing date much earlier than the destruction of the
Temple. The lamentations of Jeremiah fully attest this : —
" The ways of Zion do mourn because none come to her
solemn feasts ; her priests sigh, and she is in bitterness."
Again, " JNIine eye trickleth down without intermission,"
&c. "A voice of crying shall be from Horonaim, spoiling,
and great destruction. Moab is destroyed ; her little ones
have caused a cry to be heard : " many other passages
occur all through the prophets in the Old Testament.
Probably more appropriate ones might be found, but these
surely express a recognition of public lamentation, and
128 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
almost an encouragement of it, that perhaps may appear
strange in the present day, when the tendency of all our
Cross at Aiiipiicy Crucis.
teaching is rather to avoid making any exhibition of
strong feeling. Undoubtedly there were many crosses
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 129
connected with some demonstration ; of course there were
penitential crosses, where delinquents had to make a
pilgrimage in a sheet in expiation of some offence. Peni-
tential crosses were in use even in the Church of England
until within the last thirty years, and that not always in
obscure country villages.
The cross at Wedmore, in Somerset, is indeed, in
another sense, an example of a weeping-cross. The ter-
rible bloody assizes, as they were called, raged in these
parts, and even the recollection of them would seem to be
fresh in the minds of the inhabitants. It is two hundred
years since they happened, yet people about there speak
of them as a thing of yesterday. Jeffreys set out on what
his infamous master called his " western campaign," and
alluded to with such delight afterwards by that name.
'* Somerset, the chief seat of the rebellion, had been re-
served for the last and most fearful vengeance. In this
county two hundred and thirt3^-three prisoners were in a
few days hanged, drawn, and quartered. At every spot
where two roads met, on every market-place, on the green
of every large village which had furnished Monmouth with
soldiers, ironed corpses clattered in the wind, or heads
and quarters, stuck on poles, poisoned the air ; knd the
peasantry could not assemble in the house of God without
seeing the ghastly face of a neighbour grinning at them
over the porch. The chief justice was all himself; his
spirits rose higher and higher as the work went on."
Such is the account that Macaulay gives of a circuit that
will be remembered while record lasts, and that has no
parallel in English history. Wedmore lies at equal dis-
tances from Wells, Cheddar, and Glastonbury, and had
K
130 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
furnished many soldiers to the cause of IMonmouth, and to
their memory this cross was erected ; it was taken down
from a neighbouring site and rebuilt in the pleasant old
churchyard, and it still bears the name of "Jeffreys'
Cross." It belongs apparently to the latter part of the
fourteenth century, and is peculiarly elegant in its design,
though unfortunately much dilapidated. At the top of the
Plan of Dundry Cross.
octagonal shaft are flowers peculiar to the Decorated
style ; the set-offs above these are curved, thus giving a
light and very graceful starting-point for the tabernacle
part to rise from. All the parts of this tabernacle belong
to the Decorated style. The cross, when perfect, must
have been very beautiful. Though the ornamentation of
the Decorated style is often very rich, it is never florid ; it
differs from the preceding style in not being so stiff or
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 131
unnatural- looking, admirably adapted as the latter is for
architectural effect ; while it is equally different, from that
of the Perpendicular style which followed, being more
natural, and derived more generally from flowers and
vegetation.
At Chew Magna there is a tolerable cross. It lies south
of Bristol, on the Wells road, and is about six miles
distant. The road to it is up Dundry Hill, and at the
summit of this is an octagonal cross, rising from a flight
of four steps and a solid base. The date of this cross
is about 1500. There are panellings of a Perpendicular
character on the solid base, consisting of a four-centred
flat arch divided in two by a muUion. There are crosses
also at Westbury and Compton Bishop, in the same
direction, only a little farther to the south ; and as for the
stumps and shafts their name is legion, so numerous are
they.
The crosses mentioned in this chapter are various in
form, but all good examples ; there are many more in
the neighbourhood, but to illustrate them would make a
tedious, bulky volume of very little interest ; indeed, in
investigations of this kind, one is continually doomed to
disappointment ; guide-books and inhabitants are com-
municative enough, and ready to give every kind of
information in their power, but when the goal is reached
— often in journeys connected with the present work in
mid-winter and in boisterous weather — the result is an old
flight of steps with a single shaft, and neither ornament
nor inscription.
K 2
XI.
HERE are many crosses in England which must
be passed over with but slight notice. The
cross at Stevington, in Bedfordshire, is not
unlike the crosses at Cricklade; the stops and
splays are merely repetitions of old ones. Wheston cross
is very elegant, but simple in form. It has two square
steps, and a solid base over them ; the latter is broached
into an octagon. From this rises a light and elegant
cross, with a Virgin and Child at the intersection of the.
arms ; these arms are beautifully cusped on the outside.
This cross was excellently drawn by Chan trey in 1818,
and engraved by Croke.
The cross at Scraptoft is curious, but much defaced ; it
seems to be of more ancient date, and probably belongs
to the Early English period.
There was a fine old open cross in Leicester, built in the
reign of Queen Mary : it was octag"onal, and had a dado
inside corresponding with the outer lines ; an ogee roof
covered it, but there was no central column. Leicester
cross was pulled down in the year 1769, but an excellent
engraving of it was preserved at the time. Wymondham
cross seems to have been a very picturesque oak structure,
with a light central column. An engraving of it is pre-
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 133
served in Bell's " Antiquities of Norfolk ; " the oak beams
were carved like an ornamental barge-board to a house ;
over it was an octagonal room, with a light high-sloping
roof.
In some very old prints of market-crosses, we find them
^
IVheston Cross, Derby.
surrounded by an enclosure about fifty feet square, built
in the form of a wall to every appearance about five feet
high, with a gateway, apparently to collect tolls ; but how
far this was general we perhaps hardly have sufficient
examples left us to determine.
At Sutton St. James parish, Holland, in Lincolnshire,
J 34 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
are the remains of the celebrated Ivy Cross ; and at
Willoughby-in-the-Wold is a good monolith fifteen feet
high. At Penrith, in Cumberland, are 'some well-known
monumental crosses, which again have hardly enough
character to make them interesting subjects to delineate ;
and, indeed, it is only the great beauty of their situation
that makes them known.
I have in my possession a good old print of a cross of
which I am unable to find any record : it is a copper-plate
apparently one hundred and twenty years old, and fe-
presents a structure which may be briefly described as
follows : on a square base, " stopped " so as to form an
octagonal top, rises a square monolith, at the top of which
is a head curved outwards, and on this is a tabernacle
with a Crucifixion, and some other groups on the three
other sides, of which I have not succeeded so far in finding
any explanation. A curious feature is that it resembles
the form of the ancient cross in use at the beginning of
our era, and is in the form of a T. The angles are beaded,
and the beads are stopped five times over with heads and
flowers. The work is old, and, so far as can be judged
from the plate, is of the fourteenth century.
On the same sheet of paper is another cross, which is
very curious, and perhaps unique. It stands on a round
cheese-like base, which is supported on boulders ; the
angles are beaded, but not stopped ; and there is a curious
little cross cut out in relief on the front, which closely
resembles a dagger. To neither of these crosses have I
been able to find any clue.
In the cross at Dindar churchyard, in Somersetshire,
which is here engraved, the angles of the square monolith
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 135
are beaded as in the one just mentioned, but these beads
are worked in the form of small sunken angle-buttresses ;
there is nothing very peculiar about this cross, and it is
represented chiefly to illustrate what is meant by beaded-
angles. Dindar Church, which is also partially indicated,
Dindar Cross.
is rather an interesting old building, and has a good Early
Perpendicular porch and battlement.
Devizes is an ancient town in Wiltshire, of great histo-
rical interest, which had a noble castle built by Roger,
Bishop of Salisbury, at an immense expense. He raised
136 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
himself from being a poor parish-priest to the second rank
in the kingdom ; but Stephen, bearing him a grudge
Devizes Cross, ll'iltshire.
similar to that of Henry VIII. against Cardinal Wolsey,
deprived him of his great wealth, made him give up this
castle, which was second to none in the kingdom, and
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OE ENGLAND. 137
reduced him again to abject poverty. The singular name
of this town is said to be derived from the division of it
between the Bishop of Salisbury and the king, in very
early times.
The market-cross stands in the market-square, and
consists of a solid base with a band of quatrefoils over,
and flying buttresses at the angles. It is not perhaps very
elegant in contour, but it is curious and characteristic.
There is a singular inscription on it, which runs thus : —
"The Alayor and Corporation of Devizes avail them-
selves of the stability of this building to transmit to future
times the record of an awful event which occurred in this
market-place in the year 1753, hoping that such a record
may serve as a salutary warning against the danger of
impiously invoking the Divine vengeance, or of calling on
the holy name of God to conceal the devices of falsehood
and fraud.
"On Thursday, the 25th January, 1753, Ruth Pierce, of
Petterne, in this county, agreed with three other women to
buy a sack of wheat in the market, each paying her due
proportion towards the same.
" One of these women, in collecting the several quarters
of money, discovered a deficiency, and demanded of Ruth
Pierce the sum which was wanting to make good the
amount.
" Ruth Pierce protested that she had paid her share, and
said she wished she might drop dead if she had not.
" She rashly repeated this awful wish, when, to the
consternation of the surrounding multitude, she instantly
fell down and expired, having the money concealed in her
hand."
13S AXCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
This cross, though very different in form, is probably
contemporaneous with that at Shepton-Mallet.
The legend above given is intelligible, for many such
sudden deaths under similar circumstances, where there
has been great excitement, have been credibly recorded.
Of course there is nothing irreverent in supposing that an
inquest might have discovered some old vital complaint,
such as heart-disease, to be present at the time.
A celebrated cross stood in the monastery of Winchester,
which was built by King Alfred for married monks. This
cross spoke out openly and fervently against monks
marrying: and in consequence, Dunstan, Bishop of Canter-
bury, turned them out, and they were superseded by others
of celibate vows. There is a tradition that Canute had
spent the revenues of one year of his kingdom over this
cross, and worthily it seems to have requited his labours.
Eltham Cross, in the county of Kent, is broken down,
though the old palace in part remains, and is one of the
glories of English architecture. It was deserted at the
time of the building of Greenwich, except perhaps occa-
sionally by James I. ; and during the Commonwealth, it
served as a stone quarry for the erection of neighbouring
buildings : indeed, it was only the accident of the hall
being used as a barn that preserved it from destruction.
The grand roof has been restored by ]\Ir. Smirke, at the
expense of the Government. There was a great destruc-
tion of crosses in this part of England — indeed, they have
almost all been swept away.
Bitterley Cross stands in the churchyard of Bitterley,
Shropshire, a village near the quaint and quiet old town of
Ludlow, a town that possesses a castle which is celebrated
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 139
all over England, and is contemporaneous with Warwick,
Warkworth, Alnwick, and others that figure in English
history. The steep streets and black and white gabled
houses, also, of Ludlow, give one — next perhaps to Chester
Bitterley Cross, Salop.
— the best idea we can have of a mediaeval English
country-town. The road to Bitterley is remarkably beauti-
ful ; there are hills on each side cultivated to the summit,
while the village is literally shut in with great elms and
1^0 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OE ENGLAND.
walnut-trees, through which gables and high twisted
chimneys appear at intervals. The church is situated in
the park of Bitterley Court, and the lord of the manor
is the rector. There are several peculiarities about the
architecture of the church, which is small, and was princi-
pally erected apparently in the reign of Richard II. The
cross was also built about this time, and is very graceful
in its outline ; probably it was originally intended for
what is called a weeping-cross. There are four steps to
it ; the " stops " that convert the square base of the shaft
into an octagon are peculiarly beautiful and ingenious.
Behind the cross is a great yew-tree, and the abrupt
ridge of the hill rises up in the background. Perhaps it
would be difficult to find a better example of a tall
tabernacle cross in England. Under the representation of
the Crucifixion are some light and peculiar brackets that
are almost unique, and rather resemble thirteenth-century
work.
There are crosses at Broughton and at Kinnerley, in the
northern part of this county, and also at Great Ness,
Middle Ness, and Little Ness, in the southern part ; but
these do not differ materially, they are built on the old
type we see throughout Gloucestershire — a flight of steps
and an octagonal shaft, with the tabernacle part contain-
ing the images destroyed.
Not only have crosses of all kinds been better preserved
in Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, and Somersetshire, but
many have been restored to their former state, either by
the owners of the soil, or by the clergy assisted by the
efforts of their parishioners. There are two crosses at
Cricklade of g^reat beauty of proportion. One is repre-
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 141
sented as standing in the road, where, until recently,
it used to stand, though now it is removed into St.
Sampson's churchyard. This cross was apparently built at
Cross at Cricklade (no'tO in St. Sampson'' s Churchyard) .
the close of the fourteenth century, and is certainly a
pattern of lightness and beauty ; of course it cannot com-
14-2 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
pare for a moment with the Eleanor crosses, which were
the result of profuse wealth and unlimited expenditure,
but it is a perfect model of a village-cross. Waltham
Cross, for example, could not now be built for less than
Cross at Cricklade (in St. J/n/Ys Cliuirliyaid) .
two thousand pounds, including the beautiful statuary;
but such a cross as Cricklade might be erected for about
a hundred or a hundred and twenty pounds, even at the
present advanced price of labour. This cross formerly stood
on four substantial stone-steps, the top one was bevelled
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. .43
off very neatly into an octagonal base, and it was sur-
mounted by eight very elegant quatrefoils ; these, again,
were splayed off till they assumed the proportions of the
shaft. The shaft is crowned with a very fine tabernacle,
having four angels for supporters ; but the figures in the
niches of the tabernacle have unfortunately disappeared.
This cross has been engraved in Britton's "Antiquities of
England ; " there is also an excellent little copper-plate
by Roberts, from a drawing by John Hughes, for the
"Antiquarian Itinerary," date 18 17, and published by
Clarke, of New Bond .Street. There are also several other
engravings of it before me, but they are not dated, though
apparently of equal, or perhaps rather greater, age.
This cross has, as before stated, been removed into
St. Sampson's churchyard, where it has been carefully
re-erected. At the further end of the town is another and
very similar structure, which stands in St. JMary's church-
yard, and forms a most beautiful outline against the
chancel of the old parish church. The figures are com-
plete in this, and the shaft is very similar, but the base
is not so graceful as that of the other cross. On the side
facing the road are two figures in one canopy, which seem
to be those of a knight and lady, possibly the builders of
the cross.
There is a curious tradition regarding the origin of the
name of Cricklade. Some persons, Camden tells us, are of
opinion that it is a corruption of Grekelade, from the
circumstance that " Greek philosophers " founded a uni-
versity there, which was afterwards removed to Oxford.
Undoubtedly, according to the monks, such a university
did at one time exist ; but to derive the name from this is
i,+ ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
rather a forced example of etymology ; and the circum-
stance that the university was said to be removed to
Oxford long before there was any university at all, clearly
militates against the credibility of the narrative.
The cross at Pershore, in Worcestershire, resembles
those at Cricklade in proportions, though it is even simpler
and plainer in design ; it stands on two steps, and on the
top one is a solid base " broached." The tabernacle of
this cross has been destroyed. Pershore is said to derive
its name from the number of pear-trees that grew in its
vicinity ; it is delightfully situated on the Avon. The
cross is a preaching-cross, and was connected with the
monastery, of which some picturesque remains are yet
standing. There were other crosses here, but they have
been destroyed. Near the Gateway, w^hich at present
remains, stood the small chapel of St. Edburga, to whom
the abbey was dedicated : she was a daughter of Edward
the elder. Her father once placed before her some valu-
able jewels and clothes of the latest fashion, and also,
a little way apart, a copy of the New Testament, desiring
her to choose between them, when she at once rejected
the garments and jewels for the New Testament; after
which her father sent her to Winchester, where she died,
and where her bones were preserved as a valuable relic
for many ages. There were two crosses at Pershore to
her memory.
XII.
[OLBEACH Cross was pulled down at the latter
end of the seventeenth century, but a very fair
print of it still exists, taken from a drawing by
Dr. Stukeley in 1722. A legend on the engrav-
ing reads — " Ob amorem erga solum natale temporum
ignorantia direptam restituit. Wo. Stukeley." The cross
is so curious, and the print itself is so scarce, that it
Avas thought well to copy it for the present work, only
altering the lines of perspective, and correcting some
very obvious errors that show for themselves in the
details. The cross was pentagonal, after the manner of
Leighton-Buzzard, but it had no central column, the
angle buttresses acting instead; this gives the structure
great lightness, and increases its capacity as a shelter.
There were five angle-pinnacles to support the lateral
thrusts, and the edifice was groined inside.
The woodcut here introduced probably gives a very
fair idea of this beautiful and interesting structure, which
is unique, and deeply we must share Dr. Stukeley's regret
at its destruction.
Holbeach is an old-fashioned town in Lincolnshire, and
is about forty miles south-east of Lincoln ; it was formerly
L
1+6 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
called Oltlbecho, from the town having been built near an
^^^^
Jlolbeach Cross, Lincoln.
old beach left by the recession of the sea. It contains a
fine old church, and there is a free grammar school,
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 1+7
founded by Edward III. ; the lands, however, which were
granted for its support seem to be unaccountably lost.
Holbeach was the birthplace of the learned Dr. Stukeley,
the antiquary, author of Ihnerarmm Curiosiim.
There are no remains of the crosses that formerly adorned
Lincoln city ; indeed, this part of England is not by any
means so rich in crosses as in other ecclesiastical remains.
Boston and Grantham crosses seem to be more remarkable
for the height of their steps, rather than for any archi-
tectural features of merit. The latter is a high octagonal
shaft on a flight of steps that diminish rather gracefully ;
and the shaft also diminishes until it reaches its proper
thickness.
At Lincoln, however, is a fine old wayside conduit,
which is fairly entitled to rank among the crosses of
England. It is situated near St. IMary's de Wigford
Church, said to be one of the few Saxon remains in
England. The cross is rectangular in plan, and has
angle-buttresses ; the panelling is of the fourteenth
century — towards the latter part of that period — and is
very graceful. It is the finest example of a well-cross
left in England. The water which supplies the little
basin is brought through leaden pipes from a distance
of a mile ; these pipes are more modern than the
structure, having been laid down during the reign of
Queen Elizabeth.
There is no doubt that, from whatever cause, the crosses
in this part of England, and as far west as vShropshire,
were those that suffered most. Two ludicrously helpless-
looking statuettes of Crispin and Crispianus over a shoe-
makers' resort in Shrewsbury, as if deprecating the
L 2
148 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
Puritan zeal that was destroying so many of their fellows,
say —
" We are but images of stonne,
Do us no harm — \\q can do nonne."
Conduit near St. A/iiry^s, Lincoln.
St. Mary's Cross is situated in High Street, Lincoln,
which is one of the finest old English streets left ; the vast
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 149
cathedral, from its height, seems to overshadow the city
as we walk up towards it, and many are the remains of
antiquity on each side. The actual high-cross of Lincoln,
as it is properly called, was destroyed long ago. Remi-
gius built a cross here, which has perished ; he founded
the see of Lincoln, having removed it from Dorsetshire.
Hugh de Grenoble also built one or two crosses in
Lincoln which have likewise perished ; he succeeded
Remigius, and after him Hugh de Wells and Bishop
Wells built crosses which have shared no better fate
than their predecessors.
Langley is about ten miles from Norwich ; at one
time it contained a monastery. The singular old cross
is probably of the fifteenth century, though it may be
a little earlier. On the panel at the north side there
seems to be the figure of an angel unfolding a scroll,
though it is not very certain what this is. On the east
and west are two grotesque animals ; that on the west
has wings, and that on the east side seems to be a
sort of parody upon a lion. The canopied statues are
curious, and unlike any others we can call to mind ;
three of them are holding shields, and the fourth, on the
east side, has a singular model of a lamb. The splayed
base is very curious, and there are no traces of its having
been broached.
Langley Cross is situated in the hundred of Lodden,
which is about nine miles and a half distant from Nor-
wich, in a south-easterly direction. The river Yare,
on which Norwich is situated, is close by, and the
country is very beautiful. Langley Park has long been
the seat of the Proctor family ; the grounds cover eight
150 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
hundred acres. Langley Abbey, to the good offices of
which we owe the cross, was founded for the Premonstra-
tensian canons, in the year 1198, and was dedicated to
I.an£;lev Cross.
the Virgin Mary. There were at one time in all fifteen
religious houses here, and their united revenues, at the
dissolution of monasteries in the reign of Henry VIII.,
were /^ 2 2 9.
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 151
The Monastery of Norwich, some ten miles distant, is
remarkable for having been the scene of many conflicts
between the inhabitants of the city and the clergy. There
North Petherton Cross.
were several very beautiful crosses in its jurisdiction,
erected at the expense of the monks ; but they were
rudely destroyed by the soldiers of Cromwell, who filled
the cathedral, as Bishop Hall pathetically says, "drink-
152 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
ing and tobaccoing as freely as if it had turned ale-
house."
North Petherton Cross is situated in a pleasant part of
Somersetshire, and is a good example of Perpendicular
work, though without the tabernacle. The square sides
give it rather the appearance of an obelisk.
Base of a Cross in Bebbington Churchyard, Cheshire.
Bebbington Churchyard, near Chester, contains a fine
old base (circ. 1 500) ; and in the grounds of Delamere
Abbey is the head of a cross apparently about A.D. 1350,
— probably one of the sanctuary crosses before spoken of,
where travellers halted on their road through the dan-
gerous Royal forest.
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 153
In concluding this brief history of the crosses of Eng-
land it is of course obvious that a number of unimportant
examples must have been omitted, and perhaps it may be
thought that undue prominence has been given to others.
The fact must be borne in mind, that the materials for
writing such a history are slight, but wherever any records
Head of Cross, Delainere, Cheshire,
have been obtainable they have been made use of; pro-
bably, also, the story of one cross would be that of a
hundred others. Fosbrooke, in his curious book of anti-
quities, has given a methodical list of the different forms.
There are first, he says, the prcacJmig-crosses^ or crosses
from which friars used to preach. Then there are the
viarkd-crosscs, of which so much has been said, and which,
in fact, constitute the principal remains now in England.
15+ ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
He also enumerates 7vcepuig-crosscs, or penitential shrines ;
and then strcd-crosscs, which perhaps are included in
market and preaching crosses ; crosses of memorial, built
either as sepulchral monuments or in memory of some
notable action ; ItDidinark-crosscs, which ditfer materially
from every other kind mentioned, and were, and are yet,
the most accurate and reliable data in parish boundaries.
The abbey-lands round Chester seem to have been marked
out with great regularity in this way, though indeed many,
or nearly all of them, were destroyed very long ago. He
also mentions crosses of small stones, where a person has
been killed ; crosses in the hi'ghzvay — these were, of course,
of every kind, either like the Eleanor crosses, or boundary-
crosses, or, indeed, preaching-crosses ; crosses at the entrance
of c/uirches, to inspire devotion — and, unhappily, these
beautiful remains seem to have suffered more severely from
Puritan zeal than any other. Finally, he enumerates
crosses of attestation of peace, erected by some monarch who
was defeated or otherwise ; these are mostly of a very
ancient type. This list of Fosbrooke's is very curious and
interesting, it may be a little fanciful ; but he was a keen
observer, and had the advantage of seeing many crosses
now no more. It also affords indirect evidence of the
number of these structures which must at one time have
adorned the land.
Doubtless our wayside monuments or crosses sink into
insignificance when compared with those of the old Appian
Way leading into Rome ; perhaps, indeed, nothing can
give us even the slightest idea of this extraordinary
scene, for the history of the world contains no parallel.
The monuments erected along the wayside dwarf our
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 155
Eleanor crosses as far as cost was concerned. The
Appian Way was, in fact, one vast Westminster Abbey,
a quarter of a mile deep in monuments, and sixteen
miles in length, broken here and there by some luxu-
rious, magnificent villa, such as that of the Quintilii,
whose grand retreat proved too great a temptation to
Commodus, and caused him to have them destroyed, in
order that this infamous usurper might inhabit their
halls. The present Pope has earned the gratitude of
all students of antiquity by the excellent means he has
taken to have all monuments restored, and the debris
removed as far as possible ; though even with this
advantage we shall never again have more than a very
slight idea of the Appian Way in its grandeur, for
invaders of the Eternal City, such as Alaric, Totila,
and Belisarius, laid her suburbs waste, breaking down
the carved work of these wayside monuments, and using
up the materials for any possible purpose they might
require them ;. indeed, considering the extent of the
remains after such visitations, the wonder is that any
wayside monument is left at all. But not only was the
Appian Way adorned with roadside monuments, the
Flaminian and Latin ways were also lined with grand
tombs ; Juvenal says : —
" Quorum Flaminia tegitur cinis atque Latina."
There are many Christian tombs along these roads erected
at a later period, and bearing the symbols of the Christian
creed, which, indeed, might pass for classic monumental
roadside crosses.
Greek artists were employed on these beautiful memo-
iS6 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND.
rials, or, at any rate, on the best of them, arid we should
have to go back to the days of Alaric to know what they
were like. The destruction of our own roadside crosses
has been almost as complete, and perhaps as many price-
less designs have also been lost among them.
On the way in which roadside monuments, as well as
other ancient buildings, were made to suit the character of
the surrounding scenery, there is an interesting example in
that delightful book, Laborde's " Sinai," and I venture to
quote some remarks I once made on a former occasion on
this subject : —
"Perhaps Idumea is among the least promising sites
for an architect to attempt to mould into beauty, but it
illustrates the point under consideration well. This was
the ancient city of Eclom, and was situated in the very
middle of the rocky fastnesses of Arabia Petraea. It was
approached by only one long road of about four miles,
which has no parallel in history. The hills rise up
abruptly on each side to some four hundred feet in height ;
and they often appear to close over the head, owing to
projections in the rocks at vast heights above. In places
it is of course quite dark, and only a gleam of light ahead
directs the traveller. Yet this astonishing highway was
once covered with geometrical pavement, and its sides
were lined, wherever an opening rendered it possible, with
monuments and memorials corresponding with English
roadside crosses in aims and uses. Ages before the
Roman occupation, Edom was looked upon with myste-
rious awe : ' Who will lead me into the strong city r who
will bring me into Edom r ' "
The amazing scene that presented itself at the end of
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 157
this street is familiar to us from reading the pages of
Laborde. Rocks cut and scarped out into temples, tombs,
and dwellings are scattered about in great profusion ; but
all harmonize with the landscape, if so it can be called, for
the tunnel-like road ends in a kind of vast amphitheatre,
formerly the great city. Just before it terminates is a rock
temple, beautifully illustrated in Laborde's book, and
which appears to be of the time of Vespasian or Titus, and
shows how well old architects could improve even a gleam
of light, so long as it was a recognisedly permanent
feature, and not to be disturbed by passing events ; but it
cannot be given better than in the words of Captains Irby
and INIangles, who are among the very few Europeans that
ever saw these regions : — ■
" When the rocks are at the highest, a beam of stronger
light breaks in at the close of the dark perspective, and
opens to view — half seen at first through the narroAv
opening — columns, statues, and cornices, of a light and
finished taste, as if fresh from the chisel, without the tints
or the weather-stains of age, and executed in a stone of
pale rose colour, which was warmed, at the moment we
came in sight of them, with the rays of the morning sun.
The dark green of the shrubs that grow in this perpetual
shade, and the sombre appearance of the passage whence
we were about to issue, formed a fine contrast with the
glowing colours of the edifice. We know not with what
to compare this scene ; perhaps there is nothing in the
world that resembles it. Only a portion of a very ex-
tensive architectural elevation is seen at first ; but it has
been so contrived that a statue with expanded wings,
perhaps of Victory, just fills the centre of the aperture
158 ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OE ENGLAND.
in front, which, being closed below by the sides of the
rocks folding over each other, gives to the figure the
appearance of being suspended in the air at a great
height, the ruggedness of the cliffs below setting off the
sculpture to the highest advantage. The rest of the
vast facade opened gradually at every step as we ad-
vanced."
With this sublime description of a wayside monument,
erroneously called by the Arabs Pharaoh's tomb, we may
bring our notices of the stone crosses of England to a
close. Of course we have no such grand opportunities
to misuse in England ; but one thing is certain, that until
recently architects rarely considered their surroundings,
but simply drew their plans on paper, in four square
walls, disdaining everything in the shape of picturesque
adaptability.
In regarding the old crosses (which are, perhaps, not at
all times the most beautiful architecture of their age,
always excepting the Eleanor crosses, and remembering
that we know very little of the others), we naturally fall
into this train of reflection ; those we have noticed seem,
as a general rule, to be designed to fit their situation,
and form a pleasant object in the landscape. On this
subject, as we have before remarked, an architect who
has a building to erect should carefully sketch the site
and the landscape, in order to see how the building will
look from the various windings of the highway ; where
it should stand clear of a hillock or a group of elms ;
where chimneys would tell, or where bow windows ; and
finally look upon it as a picture set in a frame. And
he is sadly wanting in ingenuity who is not able with
ANCIENT STONE CROSSES OF ENGLAND. 159
ease to adapt this to the requirements of his work ;
indeed, such a general survey would be of the greatest
possible assistance in the item of the arrangement of
the rooms of a building ; say, for example, a dwelling-
house. It would at once relieve him of much considera-
tion as to where rooms of entertainment should be, where
the domestic offices or stables should stand, and how
far the building should be from the road, with many
other problems that he is only working at in the dark
in his office.
THE END.
VlRTUli AND CO., PRINTERS, CITY RUAD, l-ONPON.
^\
, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY
Los Angeles
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